Natural Hair Journey: My Natural Hair Regimen

Howdy! A reader requested that I post my hair regimen after I posted my staple products.  It's important to find what works for you so I encourage you to try different techniques. Most importantly, be patient! It takes quite a while to figure out a perfect technique for you. My products have changed since I first started and some will continue to change, BUT, I've had a very consistent regimen and technique for over a year now and it's been working great. You'll find that perfecting natural hair is more about your technique and the health of your hair than any "magic" hair product!

1. Scalp Massage:

Scalp Massages are important for stimulating blood circulation on your scalp.  This can improve hair growth.  I always use a carrier oil+ an essential oil.  My favorite combination is jojoba oil + tea tree oil. I always do a scalp massage on wash day (usually Saturday or Sunday afternoon). I also do at least one additional scalp massage during the week.

• I divide my hair into four sections and apply a few drops of the oil to my scalp and massage each section for at least 1 minute.

2. Deep Conditioning and Detangling:

Before I cleanse or co-wash (wash hair with conditioner), I always deep condition my hair. I alternate every week between an oil and a conditioner, and I try to get a healthy balance between moisturizing and protein treatments.
Once a month, I use Henna.  For the remaining weeks, I alternate between olive oil or Vatika oil and Giovanni Deeper Moisture Conditioner or coconut milk.

• At this point, my hair is still divided into 4 sections from my scalp massage
• Before applying any deep conditioner, I spritz my hair with distilled water
• I gently apply the deep conditioner to my hair and finger-detangle to remove any snags and shed hair
• If my hair is very tangled, I use a wide tooth comb and/or a Denman brush to further detangle
• I braid each section up, so I'm left with 4 jumbo braids
• I put on a plastic cap or plastic bag on my head and then a heating cap.  If I'm going out or need to work out, I put a scarf or a beanie on top of the plastic bag.

3. Cleansing:
I shampoo my hair every week with a moisturizing shampoo. Once a month, I do a hair detox with Bentonite Healing Clay (a natural clarifier).

• In the same four sections, I shampoo my hair under the sink. I focus on cleansing my scalp more so than my hair
• I use the tips of my fingers to gently scrub my scalp

4. Conditioning:
Conditioning your hair is so important! Once you're natural for a while, you'll see that you use far more conditioner than shampoo! During the summer and spring, I co-wash at least 3-4 times a week.  During the fall and winter, I co-wash 1-2 times a week.

• I divide my hair into two sections then I rake the conditioner through my hair
• I leave the conditioner on for at least a few minutes, while I take care of...showering duties
• I rinse out the conditioner under a stream of cool water (important that it's cool to seal the cuticle) while finger-detangling or gently combing with a wide-tooth comb
• If I'm not going to style my hair in a wash and go, I braid up each side of my hair and am left with two jumbo braids

5. Moisturizing and Sealing:

Moisturizing your hair consistently and effectively is the only way to retain hair length! I'm a stickler for moisture so I moisturize my hair at least once a day.  I spritz my hair with water or apply a moisturizer then seal with an oil. "Sealing" involves using an oil, butter, or aloe vera gel to coat the hair in order to "trap" the moisture.  You can absolutely moisturize without sealing, but eventually the moisture (which can only be derived by water) evaporates into the air.  Sealing creates that barrier to prevent the moisture from escaping.

• After I condition, I spritz my hair with a mixture of aloe vera juice, distilled water, and castor oil to restore my hair's pH balance and to further seal the cuticle
• At this stage, my hair is usually in 2 jumbo braids so I apply a leave-in conditioner to each side of my hair
• After I moisturize, I either use a styling product (which depends on what style I'm doing ) then seal OR just seal immediately with vatika oil. 
• Proceed to styling! (I'll do separate posts and videos with detailed instructions on how I do each of my favorite styles-braidouts, curl-sets, mini-twists, buns, etc)

6. Protecting My Hair at Night:
I always sleep with a satin bonnet or on a satin pillowcase.  This helps retain moisture in my hair!

7. Trimming:
There is allot of debating out there about how often to trim your hair.  You'll hear some people say every 6 weeks and you'll hear some say 2 times a year...or never.  I believe in doing what's best for you.  Everyone's hair is different!  For me, I know I need a trim when I start getting allot of split ends (not often) or when I get single strand knots (those balls at the end of your strands) from doing allot of wash and go's in the spring and summer.  You can definitely trim your hair in its curly state (but I think it's even more effective when the hair is straight). I generally "dust" my edges every 2-3 months.

• I twist my hair up into around 30 twists
• I clip 1/5 of an inch of each twist

8. Essential Tools:

• Your Fingers! I can't emphasize how important finger detangling has been for my hair's health.  Combs and brushes have a much higher likelihood of breaking your hair and creating split ends if they are not used properly.
• Widetooth comb
• Denman brush (be gentle when using this brush-it creates nice clumps of curls, but it can also rip your hair out if you're not careful)
• Water bottle
• Micro-fiber towel or T-shirt to dry hair (regular towels are way too drying)
• Hair clips
• Satin bonnet
• Pins
• Hair ties (preferably with no metal bands)
• Bobby pins
• Patience

If you have any questions about what products I use, make sure to check out my staple products!

Hope this helps!

Stay Engaged,

N

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