Friday, September 7, 2007

Current Weekly Routine

People have asked me how I am doing my hair since I am not cutting the perm out yet. Well before I decided to go natural, I got a great routine from Macherieamour, the author of Healthy Textures. Check out her hair routine as mine is now a bit different because of my new goal. Her blog introduced me to KeraCare products which I love! They are definitely worth the extra money in my opinion; I have thrown out all of my "el cheapo", drugstore products. I have also been experimenting with E’tae products. I have an appointment to get my hair done at their salon in Philadelphia next week, so stay tuned for a blog about my experience!

Washing Routine

    1. Pre-Poo: The first thing I do is pre-poo (condition before I wash my hair). I have noticed a huge difference in the strength of my hair since I began doing this. I use Mane and Tail Conditioner, which is protein based (I am thinking about trying Nexxus Emergencee or Mizani Fufyl). I concentrate the conditioner on my new growth and where my new growth meets my relaxed hair. I put a cap on my head and sit under my hood dryer (set on medium) for 30 min.
    2. Shampoo: I have a very itchy scalp so I use the KeraCare Dry & Itchy Scalp Shampoo. This will probably be the first thing to change. I have done some reading and a lot of people swear by co-washing while you transition—washing using a conditioner to make sure my hair gets plenty of moisture. I’ll keep you posted!
    3. Conditioner & Deep Conditioner: Another great tip, I picked up from Macherieamour’s routine is using the KeraCare Dry & Itchy Scalp Conditioner as a scalp conditioner. I put the conditioner in a squeeze bottle with a long tip so I can squeeze the product directly on my scalp (thank you Terra). I leave this on for at least 5 minutes. I have been using KeraCare’s Humecto Creme Conditioner for my deep conditioner, with some oil. I again, put a cap on my head and sit under the dryer for 30 min.
    4. Rollerset: Now I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to roller set my hair, but for now it works pretty well. I use KeraCare’s Leave-In Conditioner, water and some oil for my roller set.
    5. Flat Iron: This is how I get my roots nice and straight. After my rollerset, I don’t blow my roots out. I simply don’t have the patience or skill to do this. So before I begin flat ironing my hair with my CHI, I use Biosilk’s Silk Therapy Serum to protect my hair. I then flat iron in sections, first spraying each section with CHI’s Iron Guard/Thermal Protecting spray (comes in a red spray bottle). Once I am done, I either leave it out and go or wrap it up and put on a satin scarf.
My hair will usually stay bone straight for about 3 days. Once I work out and deal with the terrible DC humidity, my roots start to revert! So towards the end of the week, I don’t wear my hair down, rather I twist it up with a clip. I have been washing my hair every week like clockwork and it takes at least 3 hours, but it is worth it in the long run. My hair is super soft and shiny. I definitely feel like it is getting stronger as the weeks go on.

The first 3 days when my hair is straight, I wrap my hair and use a tiny bit of KeraCare’s Creme Hairdress. Once my roots are no longer straight, I use Castor Oil on my new growth because it helps keep it very soft and somewhat manageable. If anyone knows of anything else that will keep my new growth soft, please share. I have also started taking a hair, skin and nails vitamin again. The last time I took one, I noticed a difference in my nails, so I’ll keep you posted about that.

I’ll post pictures after I do my hair this weekend along with what products I decided to go with. Sorry for such a long post!