So You Want To Be Natural Pt.5 – Products & Tools

Now that you have decided on where you will get your products from, either the kitchen or the store let’s talk about some of the products that you will need to make your natural hair journey  a healthy journey.

The first and most important step in having healthy hair is moisturizing it. So you have to have a product that is a moisturizer. To be an effective moisturizer it’s first ingredient MUST be aqua, water, H20. Water is by far thee BEST moisturizer for our hair and skin. In fact it’s such a great moisturizer that it alone can be your moisturizer (I speak from experience as water is my primary moisturizer), when your hair is in its naturally curly state of course (if you straighten your hair and moisturize with water it will revert your hair back to its curly state).

Another product necessary is a leave in conditioner to continue to moisturize your hair as the days go on. I’ve seen some naturals go without this step. I was one in my pre loc journey, now that I am experimenting with the LOC and LCO techniques I’ve incorporated it into my regimen.  My hair seems to be a lot softer and stays moisturized longer.

You will also want to invest in a cream or butter moisturizer to assist the leave in with providing more moisture to your hair and other benefits such as shine.  This is the second step in the LCO method and the third step in the LOC method.

All of this moisturizing will be done for nothing if you do not invest in a sealant. There are a multitude of oils you can use to seal the moisture in your hair. Without this vital steps the moisture will leave your hair causing it to be dry and breakage will occur.

Where we would be without a good cleanser to help us clean our scalp and rid it and our hair of all the other products we put in it.  Selecting a cleanser will require some consideration on your part. Biggest choice being to shampoo, cowash, or,both. Some naturals swear by cowashing alone, others stick with tradition shampooing.  If your a neo in the natural world cowashing is the act of using a conditioner to cleanse your scalp. Many naturals use both in their regimens, like yours truly 🙂

Another essential product is a moisturizing deep conditioner. This beneficial treatment aids in providing deep penetrating moisture to your hair and scalp. There are many natural, non natural and home made products that fall under this category.

In Order to provide strength to your tresses you should use a protein treatment. Just like the moisturizing deep conditioner the protein treatment will aid in the overall health of your hair and it to can be purchased or made in the kitchen.

This is not low on the list because it is least necessary! A Hot oil treatment is one of the best things we can do for our hair.  It is the spa treatment for hair.  It helps condition, strengthen, moisturize and heal your hair.  It can be purchased or made.  It is one of the easiest of the home products to concoct.  A journey without this is missing an important part of healthy hair.

Last but certainly not least is a rinse out conditioner, this is also used by some naturals after washing the hair but before the leave in is applied. It is another method of conditioning for those who feel it is necessary to help their hair be more manageable and moisturized. I do not incorporate this in my regimen.

Styling tools will also be necessary, items such as wide tooth combs or tangle teasers for detangling, Denman brush used for smoothing and clumping curls, butterfly clips and elastic bands for
separating hair. A spray bottle or two is also a necessary tool.

Previous: Pt. 4

Next: Pt. 6

Disclaimer: Everything listed here is basic and is meant to be a starting point. The links I’ve including will take you to some of the products I use for the various steps of maintaining my natural hair. I am no expert on hair care, I do not have my costmatology license, nor am I a chemist, biologist, or scientist. I am a natural women who’s been researching natural hair care since 2012. I am however an expert in my own hair story and that’s what being natural is all about…developing a relationship with the hairs on your own head. I share what has worked for me in hopes that it may work for you as well. 

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Heat Damage Repair

While I have never experienced this with my natural hair, it is something that many naturals face. I too may face it when I straighten my hair (waiting for my 2 yr anniversary). So, I’d like to be prepared if/when it does strike. Although I loved my Teeny Weeny Afro after I did my BC, I will never cut my hair again short of trimming, so the option to cut my hair if it is damaged will NEVER happen. This brings me to the only choice I have: protein. Protein fills in the hair shaft when hair has been damaged, in a reconstructive manner.

Some things to DC with if you have been a victim of heat damage are: Banana, yogurt, or egg. I’ve also did a protein treatment on hair just to strengthen it with Aubrey’s Organics GPB protein conditioner. I got a little carried away and used it weekly, BAD IDEA! My hair was very hard and very dry. I mean scalp flaking dry! Little overkill on my behalf. I have not done one in a long while but I plan to again probably at the start of winter just to make sure its strong for the weather change. Below are a couple of mixtures I would try if necessary based off of my own research. If anyone knows others please share or if I’m way off basis, let me know. 🙂

Suggested Mixtures:

– 3 Tbl spoon Olive Oil, 1 Banana, and 1 Egg

– 3 Tbl spoon Olive Oil, 1 Banana, .5 container Yogurt

– 3 Tbl Olive Oil, .5 container Yogurt, 1 Egg

Measurements may vary depending on the length and thickness of your hair.

These ingredients were chosen for their protein content and therefore their repairing properties. Olive oil is great for hair as well and its a carrier so along with its own benefits it will help get the other nutrients in the hair as. When dealing with eggs it is best to rinse it out with cold water so the egg does not cook as it may with warm water. With all of the suggested mixtures be sure to rinse hair thoroughly.

DCing

One of the first things I did when I BC’d was to deep condition (DC) my tresses. Honestly, when I left the salon (whom I will not call out located in the Silver Spring, MD area…thats’ all I’ll give) I hated what I saw in the mirror. My hair was dry and dull looking and hard to the touch. If memory serves me correctly, I shed a few tears with my support team (Thanks for experiencing this with me KD and Lil Bit :)). After I deep conditioned with honey mixed in with some regular condition (forgot what I had in my cabinet at that time…sorry…lol) my hair felt soft and my scalp was no longer white and flaky. Looking back I can’t believe they let me leave looking like that. I would never send a client away with a dry head. I would have to rewash or something…idk! SMH looking back. Back to my DC… From that moment I realized all that the DC is and all that it would be in my journey.

I purchased a couple of kindle books for my iPad and starting researching cosmetic ingredients. I discovered what ingredients I needed to purchase so I could concoct my own deep conditioner and headed to the super market. My first couple of deep conditioning concoctions consisted of EVOO, honey, castor oil, Emu oil, and Hello Hydration. As time went on I’ve changed it several times.

Deep conditioning plays a huge role in your hair journey. It plays a huge role in your hair’s moisture. A good DC will leave your hair feeling soft, manageable and well moisturized. How often you will need to DC is up to your hair and it will tell you. 🙂 It will make it a good natural experience or a not so good natural experience. Sadly I speak from a recent experience :(. Due to circumstances I did not DC my hair for about two months and I could tell because my hair felt rough, it lacked moisture , and sheen. It was no longer manageable and I feel like it stagnated; not growing to its fullest potential (can’t fully prove that…lol). Needless to say, I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!

My Deep Conditioning Mixture:
Tresemme Naturals or Herbal Essence Hello Hydration
Honey
Coconut oil
Emu oil
Castor oil
Jojoba oil
Essential oil(s)
Wheat germ oil
Vitamins A,D, and E

Today was day 1 of Oprah’s Meditation Challenge, titled Miraculous Journey. I felt relieved during and after meditating and aware of all I have to be thankful for. Looking forward to day two 🙂

Castile Soap

So I’ve been hearing random not-so-good things about castile soap.  Because I am doing the CG method (washing with conditioner only) but this method allows you to use gel as well as product and that is reason for me to want to clean with a little more than conditioner periodically.  I DO NOT want to use shampoo so I thought if I used castile soap which is an all natural soap made of oils not a detergent that my hair would be safe from harsh elements.  WRONG! Apparently the PH balance in castile soap is very high between 8 and 9.  This can strip the hair and make it very dry thus making my health care regimen POINTLESS.  I am not saying that I am going to abandon castile soap completely BUT I am going to cute back on my usage….so I am going to change my regimen.  Instead of washing my hair with this weekly I am only going to do it Monthly (if needed) and the amount will be less.  Last time I used 1/2 cup castile soap, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons Jojoba oil, 2 tablespoons Vitamin E, 2 tablespoons Tea Tree oil, and 2 tablespoons EVOO.  This time I will use 1/4 castile soap with same mixtures of oil.  I am just a fan of the ingredients and I don’t want to use anything un-natural on my hair.

Okay, so what about the PH balance??? Well a healthy PH balance for our hair is between 4.5 – 5.5.  Anything above 7.1 is considered alkaline and anything below 6.9 is considered acidic….our hair is  slightly acidic.  Pure water is considered neutral at a PH level of 7.  When our hair is at the proper PH level the cuticle is closed this stops the hair from frizzing up.  When the cuticles are open the result is frizzy hair.

 

Oohhh, so I signed up for my first hair challenge! 🙂 The deadline has been extended to May 27th so I decided to try it.  Thought this was a good challenge especially since I just BC’d I can see where I will be in two years 🙂  Website is  http://www.naturalhair2014.com/