Photo source: Women On The Fence
Throughout the days of wearing my hair naturally, I've adopted many different regimens and procedures in my hunt for healthy, luxurious hair. Pre-pooing, dry detangling, shower detangling, biweekly hot oil treatments, end dusting...you name it: I probably started doing it, said I would do it forever, then eventually fell off the bandwagon.
Like my waning product junky-ism, I try to keep my regimens down to a simple minimum. When I have more time/motivation, I love to dabble in new practices (that hopefully yield positive results), but at the end of the day, here a few of the things I have to do:
Satiny Smooth
Sleeping in a satin scarf or on a satin pillowcase is a MUST for me. Granted, there are rare times when I don't, but my hair is always so dry and angry with me in the morning that I swear I'll never do it again. Most nights, I tie my hair down with a satin scarf, which locks in moisture and doesn't leave my hair tangled and snagged after a night of tossing and turning. On the nights when I'm either too lazy, feeling sexy, or just don't feel like rockin' the scarf, I sleep on my trusty pillowcase, like this silk pillowcase by ghair that I bought at HoneyFig here in Toronto. My hair stays moist, my curl pattern doesn't get mashed and matted, and my morning process is much easier.
Scalp Treatment
Castor oil has become one of my best friends. I have the tendency to have a dry scalp, so I have to keep my scalp moisturized to avoid the itchiness and flaking. Back in the day, mom had me oil my scalp with this yellow grease that had bits of herbs and bark in it, all packaged up in a pseudo-kente cloth packaging - does anyone else remember that one? Heavy greases (mostly chock full of petroleum) do nothing for me except lead to build up, so castor oil is a much better scalp moisturizer for me. Not only that, castor oil is an amazing growth aid - I have definitely noticed improved growth and thickening since I started applying castor oil 3 times a week.
Ice Cold
Especially in the summer when humidity strikes, I take an extra step to try to fight the frizzies. After rinsing out all of the conditioner in my hair while washing, I turn the tap to the coldest level possible and douse my hair in the freezing cold water. Why in the hell would I do this? Well for one - it's an amazing way to wake myself up! But with regards to my hair, cold water closes your hair's cuticle, sealing in moisture and reducing frizz. Pantene doesn't seem to think there's enough scientific evidence to prove that cold water prevents frizz, but Curly Nikki has spoken on it, and I do notice more shine and less frizz when I do a cold water rinse after each and every wash.
So there you have it - a few things that I've maintained in the 4 years (4 years this month!) that I've been wearing my hair naturally! What are some of your must-dos?