Hair Care Regimen

As promised here's how I maintain my hair.

I can be considered as a medium maintenance kind of gal, I don't do much in the way of complicated systems when it comes to taking care of my hair. In fact the less complicated it is the better as far as I'm concerned. So my regimen is über simple.

My number one, mainstay, can't live with out product: water. That's right I make sure I wash my hair once a week, depending on my schedule I go no more than two weeks before I wash my hair. I spritz my hair with water every other day, unless it's extremely dry outside or I've been in the direct sun for an extended time frame.

Speaking of washing, I've tried a lot of different brands when it comes to shampoo and conditioners. I've tried it with and with out shampoo. And what works best for me is making sure my conditioner is moisturizing. I've tried drugstore and salon brands and I've had both kinds work negatively in my hair. So I'm not going to name a brand because really you have to try and find what works best for you. I know people who swear by $50 a bottle brands and those who get the same results with $5 a bottle brands. Find something that works in your hair and for your wallet. If you find that a specific brand works for you go with it, but don't be afraid to change it up once in a while. As far as my washing method goes, I prewash my hair with conditioner before I apply any shampoo to it. This allows me to detangle my hair easier. Then I apply shampoo and reapply conditioner. I always wash out the conditioner completely. I want my hair to feel clean but moisturized, not stripped (often described as squeaky clean because your hair might squeak when you rub it between your fingers). I pat my hair dry, I don't rub because curly hair is more fragile than straight hair because of how it is composed structurally.

Then come the few products I use.
A leave in conditioner of some sort is key. I prefer Kinky Curly Knot today because it's a light creamy product. Again I've tried other leave in conditioners but this one by far leaves my hair moisturized and helps detangling, both dry and wet. A hair butter of some sort comes next. I'm currently working through Miss Jessie's Baby buttercreme. It's expensive comparatively and I actually prefer the Curly buttercreme (that peppermint makes a difference).

Now there are some people who believe that you should only use products that are natural and you really only need water, shea butter, and oils like coconut oil or olive oil, etc. Well I say you need the products that you feel you need. I can't handle the smell of Shea butter, I have a sensitive nose so smells play a big part in my world. I've tried pure Shea butter and every time I put it on my hair I got sick to my stomach. I've tried various natural oils and they all left my hair weighed down and stringy. I couldn't tell you why only that those super oils that everyone raves about, olive oil, argan oil, coconut oil left my hair feeling like straw. Which means try them out yourself and pay attention to your hair. Yes oil is good for sealing in moisture but I'm sorry I don't want my hair to feel like straw or for me to scratch my scalp bloody (only with coconut oil). So not all of my products are natural or homemade but they work for me and my results are to my liking. Also the product I do use I use sparingly I don't pile up the product and I put most of it on my ends.

My tools
A wide tooth comb and the highly debated tangle teaser. Now this little weirdly shaped combbrushthingy is a miracle worker to me. I've seen pro and con reviews for it but it works wonders for me. It drastically cuts down on detangling time. What use to take me almost two hours of diligently detangling my hair now takes about 45 minutes at the most. Again works for me, might not work for you. But give it a try. Some like the denman brush but what I've seen most people modify their denman brush by taking out two rows of bristles. What I also like about the tangle teaser is that it has an added benefit of defining my curls and waves without product.

Like I said I wash my hair once a week and once a month I try a deep condition. I'm trying out different ones because I haven't found one that doesn't leave my hair feeling limp. Currently I'm working through Miss Jessie's Super Sweetback Treatment. So far it's working for my hair but I can't get over the price tag. However the same 16 oz container I bought in January isn't even half gone. So yeah it's expensive but it lasts for a while. So I'll keep using it until it's all gone. When that time comes I'll see if I'll buy it again.

Hairstyles
Being the medium maintenance gal that I am and learning what I've learned from the YouTube gurus I know that leaving my hair alone more often than not is going to aid in my length retention. Meaning I don't do wild crazy hairstyles everyday and I try to protect my ends as much as possible. So after I washed my hair and put the moisturizers on, I put my hair into medium sized two-strand twists. I then use various hair thingies to pull them up in a bun of some sort. My collection of hair accessories has steadily grown over the last year. Hair bands, ties, clips, you name it I've got it, this is how I add interest.

This is usually how I check my hair length, when I first started twisting up my hair and putting it up it was hard to get everything up. And when it was up it was a sad little pony-tail. Now I can pull everything up with ease and wrap around into a nice bun. I don't wear my hair out any more because it leads to tangles. For special occasions I do twist outs and various updos (another post for another day).

So that's pretty much my regimen...see so simple. I don't pile on product and I pay close attention to how my hair reacts to the products. In the end I feel my simple regimen is doing wonders as my hair continues to retain length and my ends look great.