So I've had a ton of compliments on my hair this past year and thought I would share my hair
regimen with everyone.I have used most of these tips for as long as I can remember, but really only became diligent with following all of them for the past year or so. I can honestly say this has the longest and healthiest my hair has been. Feel free to hit me up with questions.
Basic Tips:
1. I rarely put heat to my hair.
-The only time a flat iron or blow dryer touches my hair is typically during the colder months when I sometimes straighten my hair. I can say my hair is curly and worn naturallyl 95% of the year. Limit the amount of heat that touches your hair and always use a heat
protectant spray like
Tresemme's Heat Protection spray or Beyond the Zone's Turn Up The Heat Protection spray.
2. I never use towels on my hair! EVER!-I dry my hair with t-shirts and wrap it up with microfiber towels while I am putting on lotion, face masks, or whatever other pampering I plan to do before styling my hair. Also, I gently squeeze the towel into my hair to release the water..I never rub! Rubbing creates frizz which is a
curly girl's nightmare!
3. After styling I use a method called PLOPPING to wrap my hair before bed. -Hands down this is one of the best tricks I have learned for curly hair!!! Basically I take a medium sized t-shirt and lay it on a flat surface. Then I flip my head over and push my head into the t-shirt (all of your hair should be
smushed onto the top of your head). Then I roll the sides of the t-shirt and pull them behind my head and tie it with a hair tie. Basically it looks like I have a turban on. What this does it creates volume in your hair. I do my hair at night and sleep with it like this. When I wake up the 'turban' has kept all of my hair flat onto the top of my head and hasn't allowed it to rub and frizz up. The result is a bunch of springy, frizz free curls! Google 'plopping' to get a visual or hit me up if you'd like me to do a whole
separate entry on that! FYI: The first day after unwrapping your hair from being 'plopped' your curls will be voluminous, but seem a bit tight to your head (because they've been scrunched there for hours!). No worries, they will loosen up and the body will continue to enhance throughout the day!
4. In between washings I wrap my hair at night. -I have a few old silk scarves that I use. I just wrap it up like you would a
bandanna and again it prevents your hair from rubbing and frizzing up. I have heard some people also use silk pillows, but I don't go that far.
5. As soon as I get home all hair ties, bobby pins, etc. come out of my hair!
-We can be pretty rough on our hair with products used to style our hair. That's why it is good to let it breathe! As soon as I get home from work I take my hair down and leave it out. Sometimes I get a big old school scrunchy and
loosely put it back in a low pony so that it's out of my face but that's it. I leave it down 80% of the time. This has also made it grow tremendously the last year.
6. I handle my hair as if it an expensive piece of silk
-You would be surprised at how rough you are being with your hair (and skin!)If you stop and take a day to treat your hair as if it is fragile, you will learn how gentle you should be. I only use combs when I am
detangling my hair. After that, I rarely put a brush or comb to this mane. In fact, I try not to touch my hair that much at all because touching creates frizz!
Washing and Moisturizing
1. I wash my hair twice a week: no more, no less.-Curly hair should NOT be washed daily. Our hair coils and moisture gets trapped in the curls. If you wash your hair daily you will dry it out and look a hot mess! My curls typically look great for about three days max so I can normally tell that it's time to wash my hair because they look frizzy.
2. The CurlyGirl Method and Co-Washing-Go ahead and google the
curlygirl method so you understand. Basically, it is a
regimen that involves using sulfate free shampoos and silicone free conditioners and styling products. Sulfate strips your hair of your natural oils and the silicone sort of coats your hair which is why it sometimes feels 'oh so soft' after using those products. Eventually your hair gets used to it and creates a layer of silicone and
yuckiness with continued use. With the
curlygirl method, since you are using silicone free products and there is no build up created, you are able to essentially wash your hair with conditioner only. Every other week you can use a sulfate free shampoo for an extra clean. I used this method for about 4 months and I liked it because I saw tremendous growth. I don't follow it anymore except I only use sulfate free shampoos. I would definitely try using the method to jump start your new health hair lifestyle.
3. A wide tooth comb and detangling is a must!
-I always use a wide tooth comb to
detangle my hair while in the shower with conditioner on. I flip my head to the left,
detangle, flip to the right
detangle, flip
upsidedown,
detangle, and flip back/upright and
detangle. Then I put my hair in a clip and finish the rest of my shower. Rinsing the conditioner off is the last thing I do in the shower. I cannot stress how important
detangling is. I had to learn this the hard way. In middle school I was lazy at it and ended up getting a huge knot at the base of my head. I had to cut my hair off and looked crazy!
4. Hair Brands
-I often rotate my brand of shampoos and conditioners because I
felt my hair gets used to them and the products don't seem to work as well after a while. I like Beyond the Zone (Sally Beauty),
Garnier Fructis, Paul Mitchell, and One and Only brand products the most.
5. After washing/conditioning and t-shirt drying my hair, I apply oil to my ends.
-Normally I use
Argan Oil but when that is not available I use good
ol' Extra Virgin Olive Oil (
EVOO). I just put some on my finger tips and apply directly to my ends. I have layers so I end it by rubbing a tiny bit throughout.
6. I use a hair mask or hot oil treatment about twice a month.-I am a fan of
DIY methods, so normally I will make an avocado hair mask which I have done a tutorial on. There are all kind of at
DIY hair you can make with at home products like
mayonnaise, honey, avocado,
evoo, eggs, etc. Google it and tons of recipes with pop up! Of course you can always purchase hair treatments/deep conditioning treatments but normally I don't do that. Hot oil treatments are always a plus for curly hair!
Styling
1. My favorite hair tool to use is my hands!
-I pretty much do all my hair styling with my fingers. From shaping the curls around my face to making loose parts, I rarely use a comb or brush. Remember, your hair is an expensive piece of silk, so would you drag a sharp comb or rough brush through that? Nope!
2. Leave in conditioner is essential!
-After getting out of the shower and applying my oil to the ends, I follow up with a great leave in conditioner. There are a few brands I like including Paul Mitchell's The Conditioner (or the
GVP version at Sally Beauty),
Garnier Fructis' Sleek n' Shine leave in conditioner, and
Sunsilk's Captivating Curls De-Frizz cream. I flip my head over and apply a generous amount and run it through my hair. I then
detangle my hair the same way I did in the shower with a wide tooth comb.
3. I am fan of curl creams and not gels, mousse, or hairspray. -When I was younger I had crunchy kind of curls because I used gels and mousse. Well, that was then and this is now. I have voluminous, soft, bouncy curls because of the
maintenance I keep with my hair and using curl creams! I really like Beyond the Zone's
Noodlehead Curling Cream. I have heard Curl-Gel-
les'c (pronounced jealousy) by Curls is really good too but I have not tried it. After
detangling my hair and combing it into the style I want, I just apply a generous amount to my fingertips and scrunch all around.
4. In between washings I keep my curls looking fresh with good ol' water!-When I wake up and unwrap my hair I take a little bit of the leave in conditioner and place it on my finger tips, Then I run a bit of water onto my hands and mix it together and 'fluff' my hair. I don't rub the product into my hair, just going around the head in a scrunching motion and paying attention to the areas that seem frizzy.
So there you have it! That is pretty much my entire hair
regimen and I hope you find some of the tips to be helpful!
