Natural Hair Update

Hiya Peeps,

It has been a while since I got up with you on some hair talk. At the moment I have fallen in love with my  hair all over again, for no particular reason. What can I say I just love the natural. I've been really boring when it comes to styling and lately I have been keeping it simple.  I did put a red Henna dye on last month as my gold colour has gone a bit brassy.  I will not be putting any dyes other than Henna on my hair in the future as my hair really did not like my colour experiments and has become super dry and temperamental, and rebellious as a result. lol

Twisted up in a protective style this week

The Regimen

Keeping it clean
I am inclined to wash my hair once weekly with African black soap. but before even a drop of water touches my head, I part my hair into four sections with butterfly clips and I pre condition and finger detangle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  My hair is very dry and the city happens to have some of the hardest water ever, so I have found through trial and error adding this step has really improved how my hair feels after wash day.  As the black soap comes in a block to make it easier to use I throw it in an a applicator bottle with some warm water.  If I have an Aloe Vera leaf in the house I will blitz that and add some to the black soap mixture. I wash my hair in the four clipped sections in the shower one section at a time. After I wash a section I add my conditioner to that section and move to on to the next.

• If you reside in the city you can pick up a block of Black soap from the local African grocery store in my case in Peckham for around £5 this will last you for months

When the twists came out I did a half up half down

By mid day the hair went into a full  updo, due to shrinkage

Moisture, Moisture, Moisture

I have the kind of hair that is very kinky, coily and dry to combat dryness I usually condition with honey and oil mixed with a generic brand of conditioner. (whatever I have in the house) but it will be a product that does not contain parabens or sulphates, as these ingredients dry out the fro. I leave my conditioner on my head for around 20 minutes then rinse. Before I rinse out the conditioner I will finger detangle each section to remove loose hairs and any single strand knots. Once every few months I may run my wide tooth comb through at this point. This is becoming a rarity as I have my finger detangling down to a fine art.  I would never usually run a comb through my hair when its dry and I haven't locks up or had any matting. (I will use a brush for smoothness whenever I have a bun)  For my very last rinse I use a mixture of Aloe Vera juice and water or Apple Cider Vinegar and water. During this entire process my hair is still clipped in the four sections.

• Holland and Barratt conditioners are my faves but if I'm caught out there I will use Tresseme's Naturals and Aussie Moist

Classic Bun

Make sure it dries properly

While my hair is damp, after adding a Shea Butter mix or a oil mix and Cantu Leave In conditioner (in warmer months) I will braid or twist it up into 8 to ten Ms Celie style plaits. This allows my hair to dry properly. As I do not blow dry that much this step is crucial, or when I wake up and my hair will smell like damp washing. Not to mention the shrinkage.lol

In the morning I will use the products that will help me to achieve the look I'm going for; regardless of style I always use an oil mix. Which changes according to what I have in the house. I do not use measurements I just chuck my oils into my oil bottle and shake therefore it is slightly different every time. But it is always a variation of the below oils. I also have a water bottle which has Coconut oil and water in it which I mist with in the morning and evening.

Coco's Oil mix

Extra Virgin Olive Oil  ( Used alone my hair does not feel moisturised)

Coconut Oil  (used alone makes my hair brittle)

Jojoba Oil

Jamaican Castor Oil (used alone will makes my scalp itch)

Vegetable Glycerin (depending on the weather)

Almond Oil

 

Curly fro 3 days after wash day