Back To Basics - Let’s Build A Natural Hair Regimen For Length Retention and Hea

https://youtu.be/xtKJ7pLh9LI

Every now and again we have to check in and take a critical look at our regimen. What should we eliminate, what should we add, how can we maximize the health of our hair with very little time invested.

We are all very busy and like all self respecting impatient people, we want the most benefit with very minimal to no stress. We have had a few requests for a simple regimen that is geared towards retaining length and health of natural hair.

We already have quite a few regimens on the blog but from experience we know we can never have enough practical guides for us girls to follow. So with that in mind lets begin:

Step 1 Choose products – What you will need

Shampoo – You will need two types, one that clarifies your hair and scalp removing all impurities usually containing sulfates and another kind that cleanses your hair and scalp but is sulfate free.

You can do your own research on the best brands for you however here are two suggestions – Neutrogena Clarifying Shampoo and Shea Moisture Raw Shea Retention Shampoo

Conditioner – Conditioners are not tricky however we suggest using conditioners that are cone free so that you can avoid build up.

There are a ton of great conditioners on the market, my personal favorite is from the Tresseme brand because I get a lot of product in one bottle and it isn’t disrespectful on my pockets

Deep conditioner* – You can purchase your deep conditioner or you can make one with the conditioner you already have. To make a deep conditioner* all you need to do is add product enhancing ingredients like olive oil*, eggs, coconut milk or even honey to some cheap conditioner.

Leave in conditioner* – Water based leave in conditioners all have the first ingredient listed as ‘water’. Pick the best one for you based on your hair needs. Get a leave in with protein in it and another one that does not have protein so that you can have a choice based on how your hair is feeling.

Oil or butter – You will need an oil or/and butter for sealing and to make pre poo’s to remove twists or braids or just to add to conditioner. We suggest coconut oil*, shea butter* and olive oil* for variety. But Grapeseed oil is great too if you prefer something a bit different.

The key is getting creative and listening to what you hair needs. If your hair feels weak, you need protein – eggs, coconut milk, or avocado’s are great additions to your mix. If your hair needs moisture, avocado, honey and a moisture rich conditioner should do the trick.

Step 2 Decide on what you will do and when

There are 4 weeks in a month, you must have a wash day either every week, every two weeks or every month. Your hair and scalp must be cleansed at some point for healthy growing hair to be maintained.

Regardless of which one you choose you will do the same thing on wash day everytime. So pick your poison, think about your lifestyle. Do you work out often? Do you want to protective style 90% of the time and cleanse once a month? Do you use a lot of gel? All of these things will play a part in what you decide.

Step 3 To Pre poo or not to pre poo

Now it is time to get wash day started. Pre pooing is a form of deep conditioning, it is typically done before you shampoo. Here is how to decide if you need one or not.

If you plan on using shampoo that has sulfates in it, then doing a simple pre poo can lessen the drying effects of the sulfates on your hair.

Since pre poo’s are the same as deep conditioning*, if you plan to use ingredients like eggs, avocado or hard to rinse conditioning agents, it might be easier to deep condition (pre poo) first then cleanse and re condition your hair with a basic conditioner after.

A very simple pre poo just takes one ingredient, and that is oil, any oil of your choosing warm or room temperature.

Step 4 – Cleanse and condition

Cleansing and conditioning are the meat and potatoes of any regimen. You should cleanse your scalp and hair every week, two weeks or monthly depending on what you chose in Step 2. Cleanse your scalp in sections using the balls of your fingers getting rid of dirt and debris. Wash the shampoo out thoroughly.

Condition your hair right after cleansing your hair. Use your cheap conditioner first on each section so that you can detangle your hair while in the shower. Detangle each section using your fingers, wide tooth comb* and shower stream then twist the section leaving a little conditioner in the hair.

Rinse each sections while twisted and move on to deep conditioning*. If you did not pre poo then add your deep conditioner* to each section of your hair ensuring to re-twist the hair as you go along to keep your hair detangled.

Always deep condition using heat. This means using a plastic cap and sitting under a dryer for 20 minutes or steaming your hair with a hair steamer. Rinse your hair out while separated in sections and move on to adding your leave in conditioner* and then styling.

Step 5 – Styling your hair

Nobody can tell you what the best style is for your hair but we can suggest that in order to maintain growing hair you need to be careful with styling. For kinkier textures, stretched hair that is protected is best, this means, braids, banding or tension blow dry if you are on a monthly regimen is recommended.

If you plan to do wash and go’s predominantly you will need a great gel that is not drying and that is alcohol free added to your product list. We suggest ecostyler gel, however trial and error with regards to choosing a gel is your best bet for your texture of hair.

Other regimen additives

1. Trimming – Pick a trimming schedule and stick with it. If you like to search and destroy monthly, then do that. If you prefer to straighten and trim every three months, then try to stay on that schedule so that you can retain length and keep your ends healthy.

2. Heat styling – Some women prefer to keep their hair very stretched using heat, roller sets or flat irons* can keep your hair stretched, but if you are using heat you must use protein in your deep conditioner* every time you have a wash day

3. Hair problems – Tweak your regimen according to your own needs, if your hair is thinning, look for deep conditioning* recipes that help with thinning. Try scalp massages nightly as part of your own personal regimen, reduce stress and tension on your roots and edges with the styles that you choose.

4. Know what to tweak – If you need more protein add more protein to your deep conditioning* product. If you need more moisture, add more moisture producing agents to your deep conditioner*. Use your deep conditioning and steaming steps to give your hair what it needs.

5. Keep things simple – We can get very complicated around these parts but we urge you to keep things simple so that you can be consistent.

Consistency with what works is the key to healthy long hair, once you find your groove there is no need to deviate regardless of what is trending.

See the other articles in the back to basics series here >>