My Hair Story - Brittany of Sisterdo Hair Care

Introduce Yourself

Hello! I am a Naturalista, a Sister, a Wife, and Co-Founder of Sisterdo Hair Care, a review site for all things natural hair.

Are you relaxed, natural, texturized or texlaxed?

Natural

What’s your story, how did you get to where you are?

I grew up in a mostly Caucasian neighborhood, where all my friends had straight or wavy hair. I hated wearing my coily hair in braids, and so I started relaxing my hair at the age of 9.

Flash forward 18 years, my hair was thinning, shedding endlessly, and just wouldn’t grow. My sisters were experiencing hair crises of their own, and we all decided to stop putting chemicals and destructive product additives into our hair. Even though I was reluctant to this change, terrified really, we’ve always been close, and could support one another through this transition.

Not long after I discovered that I loved my hair natural, and that it was finally happy and healthy. This was one of the best decisions I ever made, and I also realized I wanted to encourage women to take the plunge. The process is doable as long as you know what to expect. And ultimately so rewarding. So now I do everything in my power to help women I come into contact with. I suggest brands to try based on their hair type and hair needs. I also point them to salons equipped to handle natural hair. The goal of Sisterdo, the review site we launched, is to Help Navigate Natural Hair.

What is your typical weekly regimen? 

I typically wash every 10 days, though I am trying to get that down to 7 days because my hair gets less tangled within that time frame. On wash day, I start with a prepoo or hot oil treatment which I leave on for 20-30 minutes. I tend to use a heavier oil like olive oil* with an essential oil, or will use a deep conditioner, or conditioner with added oils.

Next I cleanse/clarify with either apple cider vinegar* or a gentle sulfate free cleanser. If I am using the ACV I dilute it in a big bowl, 1:3 ratio, and then soak my head and scalp, making sure to massage the scalp with my fingertips. If my scalp doesn’t have a lot of buildup, I might just co-wash with whatever conditioner I have on hand.

Depending on time constraints, or how much moisture my hair needs, I might sit with a deep conditioner for 20-30 minutes. Otherwise I would just apply a regular conditioner, or a deep conditioner and wash out after 2-3 minutes. I squeeze my hair dry with a tee shirt and then move on to styling.

Typically I do a twist out, and will use a leave in conditioner*, curl cream and then lock in the moisture with a hair oil of choice. During this time I also have to detangle my hair, so this is the longest step of the process. I will use a combination of flat twists and regular twists to achieve the look.

Between washing I will spray my hair with a DIY moisture mist at night, and reapply a daily moisturizer if needed. I sleep with a satin bonnet* or scarf in the pineapple style.

Are you happy with your progress so far?

Yes, my hair has completely regrown and surpassed the length it always was relaxed. I struggle with how knotted it can get, and as it grows longer this becomes more difficult to avoid. However decreasing the length between washes helps.

What’s your signature style?

Right now its wearing my hair big and stretched. I will do a halo on wet hair to stretch, then put in loose twists to give it a wavy voluminous look.

How do you ensure that your ends are protected from the elements and your hands? 

I do a deep conditioner* every time I wash to keep strands moisturized. I wear a satin scarf or bonnet to protect from cotton pillowcases. And I wear my hair in a protective style or in a headwrap when I go to the beach to protect ends from the sun and sand. I take care while detangling with my hands so that I only remove the strands that have shed, as opposed to breaking other strands.

Do you have a goal length or are you more concerned about the health of your hair? 

I just want to make sure that my hair is the most healthy it can be.

Is there anything that your hair hates?

Shampoos with sulfates (detergents) are often way too drying and strip the hair strand. I also have to pay attention to the pH balance of conditioners in general, otherwise they might leave the hair strand open and brittle after using.

Do you have any favorite hair products?

I am always trying products, in search of new things. Standouts are Obia Naturals deep conditioner*, Shea Moisture* Manuka Honey masque, Oyin handmade frank juice, shampoo bars. I make my own curl cream/daily moisturizer.

Where can we find you online?

www.sisterdohaircare.com

@sisterdohair (IG, twitter, Facebook)