So You Want To Be Natural Pt. 6 – The Regimen

Now that you have all these products and tools to grow your healthy natural hair you must decide when and how often you will apply them, this is called your regimen. Most curlie naturals (there are naturals who wear their hair straight…yes it’s natural because there is no chemical being added… we’ll save my thoughts on this for a separate post) use a regimen to make sure their hair is on a schedule of health. How you put together your regimen will depend on the needs of your hair. The needs of your hair will be determined by trial and error and things you already know about your hair.  For example if you already know your hair is dry and brittle, you may need a protein treatment to be done monthly. If you know you have type 4c hair, you know your hair is tightly coiled and if you want it longer you may want to add a stretching technique to your regimen on wash day.

A simple regimen: cleanse weekly if cowashing and shampoo monthly, deep condition weekly, protein treatment monthly, moisturize and seal daily. Again this is very basic for a more detailed realistic regimen click here.

Previous: Pt. 5

 

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 cosmetology 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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So You Want To Be Natural Pt. 4 – Product & Hair Typing

Your tresses will be protected at night now, so let’s get to the products right?. Before that you have to decide if you will purchase products, make your products, or a combination of the two. After doing a lot of researching and learning what products really where i decided to make most of my products like my DC and my moisturizing spritz. It is also at this stage that some nature’s determine their hair type. For some it determines what type of products they will use. Several manufacturers separate products by hair textures and types while other say their products are for any natural. I know my hair type, I only use two products that were directed towards my hair type: my Elasta QP and my Naturalista shampoos are for dry hair. The rest of my products are not specific or I make them myself.

Previous: Pt 3

Next: Pt 5

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 cosmetology 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. 

So You Want To Be Natural Pt. 3 – Bedtime Protection

You’re now either sporting your beautiful TWA or you’re  ready to start rocking gorgeous transitional styles (or protective style). Next you’ve got to keep that hair of yours protected when you go to sleep your first night and each and every night for the rest of your natural journey. Our natural tresses are easily damaged by our cotton bed sheets. The cotton robs our hair of moisture causing it to break and it also snags our hair again causing it to break. The tool to stop this…satin! Satin is a type of threading which is smooth without loose threads. It can either be silk, polyester, or nylon  satin or other types if satin. These mentioned are the popular ones. The silk type is more expensive and it feels very sleek on your skin and hair.  You can either invest in satin sheets,  satin pillow case(s), or satin hair bonnet, or all of these products. Either of these satin products are needed to protect your hair from the elements of sleep. I don’t sleep with pillows at all, I just cant…lol so I utilize satin bonnets and silk and polyester scarves.

Previous: Pt 2 Big Chop Or Not
Next: Pt. 4

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 cosmetology 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. 

Chronicles of a Dry Itchy Scalp

Some times we have to journal about our issues, good and bad, in order to improve our current situations or to maintain a good state. You can look back on your journal to see what reaction your hair had. You can use it as a guide as to what not to do ever again. The list goes on of the phenomenal ways a journal can help us. And please understand this is not just for hair but for our daily lives as well. Below is a journal of when my scalp becomes dry so I can make it better by seeing what works best for me and when.

1/25 Sunday – wash day; shampoo, protein treatment and moisture DC
1/26 Monday – scalp fine
1/27 Tuesday  – scalp fine
1/28 Wednesday – itching in back
1/29 Thursday – itching all over and a little dry looking but no patches or flakes; oiled scalp
1/30 friday – scalp fine
1/31 Saturday – itching all over

2/1 Sunday –  wash day; cowash, no DC only L.C.O.
2/2 Monday – scalp is okay
2/3 Tuesday – slight itching and dry scalp visible, sprayed with moisturizing mix and sealed with jojoba oil
2/4 Wednesday – scalp fine
2/5 Thursday – scalp fine
2/6 Friday – scalp has some dry patches scattered and little itching
2/7 Saturday little itching
2/8 Sunday wash day; clay wash and L.C.O
2/9 Monday – scalp fine
2/10 Tuesday – scalp fine
2/11 Wednesday – scalp fine
2/12 Thursday – itching
2/13 friday – lots of itching but no sign of dryness (when my hair is dry my scalp looks white) retwisting tonight on old hair without washing for the first time for valentine’s day. Sprayed with water lightly and applied a small amount of Miss Jessie’s Buttercreme.
2/14 Saturday – scalp very itchy and notice dry patches scattered throughout.
2/15 Sunday – wash day; cowash with conditioner, no DC only LCO
2/16 Monday – scalp is fine
2/17 Tuesday – scalp not itching but there are flakes scarcely in my head; no visible dryness
2/18 Wednesday – scalp is fine outside of flakes that are there
2/19 Thursday – scalp is fine, no visible signs of dryness and not a lot of itching
2/20 friday little itching
2/21 Saturday same as Friday
2/22 Sunday same, wash day with protein treatment
2/23 Monday – scalp flaking no itching
2/24 Tuesday – no itching but several dry patches throughout my scalp
2/25 Wednesday – slight itching and scalp very very dry still
2/26 Thursday scalp severely dry
2/27 Friday – still dry
2/28 Saturday still dry more itching
3/1 Co wash day

I’ve learned some things from this month long journal: the shampoo and protein treatment tend to dry my scalp up quiet a bit. On days when I cowash my scalp does not get dry as quickly. What I don’t know is if it’s the shampoo or the protein treatment, or both of them combined. I feel that I have to do both so I’m not going to take them from my regimen. What I will do is oil my scalp the very next day after wash day and every other day there after.

Do you have a problem with your hair? Try journaling and let me know how it’s helped you. 😉

So You Want To Be Natural Pt. 2 – Big Chop or Not

You now understand that you will have to dedicate some QT time with your tresses and that it ain’t gonna be free. The next thing you have to decide is if you want to Big Chop – affectionately called BC – or if you want to transition, or a combination of the two.   Doing a BC is the act of cutting off all of your relaxed hair leaving you with a TWA (Tinny  Winny  Afro). This is the method that I chose.  But at first I was attempting to transition and i did a couple of styles. Then one day I just got so excited about going natural that’s I Big Chopped. Transitioning is to allow your relaxed ends to grow out without doing a BC. You will have mixed hair: relaxed ends and natural roots. Many who choose this option trim the relaxed ends each month  until ultimately being left with natural hair only. Naturals who transition have been known to do is for up yo two years. By then they have a good amount of natural hair and doing a BC is not necessary that big at all. Another choice for transitioning is letting the natural hair grow until you have a length that you are comfortable with then do a BC. Those choosing this option sometimes will have around 4 inches of natural hair.

Previous: Pt. 1 Cost & Time

Next: Pt. 3 Bedtime Protection

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 cosmetology 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.