Summer 2017 Hair Regimen- 4C Natural Hair

My go-to puff the day after taking my braids out

If you follow me on Instagram (hint, hint), you would have seen that I removed the braids that I had installed for 7 weeks. it feels good to have my hair out again! So I thought this would be a good time to post my updated hair regimen for the remainder of the Summer.

Let me first start with saying that I don't care much about "definition" especially in the Summer. It's

My Braids Regimen to Maintain Healthy Hair

African Pride Braid Spray, Carols Daughter Black Vanilla Oil, African Royal Braid Spray (can be purchased below) 

As many of you know, my hair is currently in Yarn Braids and it's been about 5 weeks since I installed them. They make my mornings much easier, but I still need to take care of them in order to maintain healthy hair.  Not only am I looking to minimize the amount of time spent doing my hair, but I also want to see some noticeable growth & retention.

Here is my current braids regimen:

Summer Hair Regimen and Challenges

 Not much is changing for my Summer hair care, but I thought I would still document for future reference. So in case y'all are wondering, here is my Summer hair regimen.

Weekly

• Deep condition on dry hair overnight- Currently using Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and Olive Oil
• Shampoo(in twists)- Using Shea Moisture- Moisture Retention Shampoo
• Add Leave-ins(take the twists out)- AVJ Mix and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Seal with Coconut Oil
• Finger detangle
• Braid, twist or band when air-drying

My Natural Hair Regimen

Hey Hey Hey! 

I apologize for the lack of blog posts this past week, I've been traveling for work and couldn't muster up any energy to get on here. 

Anyway..I have been fully natural for 6 weeks and finally figured out a regimen that works best for me. 

I believe it’s very simple and conducive to my lifestyle while helping me retain length and limit manipulation.

I’m going to do this differently... which will show you what I do with my hair week by week.

Wash Night!

Hey Hey Hey!!

Last night while everyone was partying it up, guess what I was doing?? Yup you got it, washing and setting my hair. I actually enjoyed having a night in though. These last few months have been crazy for me!

Ok..before I start rambling, let me jump right in to my wash night. 

Hair Products Update

As of now, the only commercial hair products I have used on my hair is a Deep Conditioner and Shampoo. 

I deep condition on "dry hair" before washing and currently use ORS: Replenishing Conditioner(which I adore). 

For shampoo, I use Shea Moisture: Moisture Retention Shampoo.

That shampoo is running low, so once it's complete.. I will finally have a chance to use the WEN I was gifted.

For a leave-in, detangling and moisturizing spritz..I use my AVJ Mix which contains:

Aloe Vera Juice

Distilled Water

Glycerin

an Oil of my choice (either Safflower, Coconut or Vitamin E)

a few drops of Rosemary, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Oil

Transitioning Regimen

The reason why I am doing a long-term transition opposed to a big-chop is because I want to maintain longer hair for a while. Hey..I worked hard to grow this, so it's not going away anytime soon!

Now in order to have a successful transition, I must keep my hair healthy and avoid major breakage at ALL costs! There is NO point of hanging on to damaged relaxed ends, right?!!!
I think this new regimen I have devised will assist on keeping my relaxed & natural hair happy as well as the infamous line of demarcation!

February- June

Once Every 3 weeks- See wash day post here.

• Thoroughly Detangle- Aloe Vera Mix (including Glycerin and Safflower Oil)
• Deep Condition on DRY hair with a Protein and Moisturizing Conditioner- ORS Replenishing Conditioner
• Shampoo- Shea Moisture- Moisture Retention Shampoo or WEN
• Roller- Set
   

Week 1- Wash Week- Wear my hair down, bunned or clipped up- May do braid out's, bantu-knot outs. so forth
Week 2- Put hair in a Protective and LOWW Manipulation Style-  twists, cornrows or a mix of the 2. Just experiment with styles that can last up to 2 weeks.
Week 3- See above, but co-wash or wash with diluted Shampoo if necessary
Week 4- Wash Week- Same as week 1

Daily or when needed

• Moisturize and seal hair
• Oil Scalp with Sulfur Mix
• Spritz New-Growth with Aloe-Vera Mix
• Cowash- If working out extensively- I need to get back into this!!!!

Sometime in March or April- Do a Henna Treatment to keep hair strong!

July-September



Braids!!! With added hair
Braids In- 6 weeks
Hair Out- 2 Weeks
Braids or maybe Senegalese Twists In- 6 Weeks

*Regimen to be posted at a later time

Every 4 Months

Trim 1-2 inches of hair

I'm not sure what I will do for the remainder of the year yet, but I thought far enough in advance for now!
So far, I have had no desire to straighten my hair. If I choose to do so, it will probably be twice a year.
One thing I do want, is to wear my OWN hair at least 75% of the time through this transition...and I think I can do that!




If you have any questions on my regimen, let me know!!

1st Wash Day of the Year- Roller-Setting It

Last night/this AM was wash day. I am working on slightly tweaking my regimen to fit my current life-style and I am also in EbonycPrincess' roller-setting challenge. So, I will display both changes in this post.
I basically need to finish my hair on Saturday's no later than 10:30AM, so time is of the essence.

Step 1.)

Detangling and Deep Conditioning

Sectioned my DRY hair

Spritzed with Aloe Vera Juice

Added Oil to each section

Detangled

Added ORS Replenishing Deep Conditioner to Each Section

Placed small pony-tail holder on the section (big thanks to http://guyanesesista.blogspot.com/ for this tip!!!)

Twisted the section

Placed Plastic Cap over my head, then bonnet

Deep Condition overnight

Step 2.)

The next morning at or around 8AM

Keep hair in the same sections not removing any ponytail holders

Rinse out Conditioner

Apply diluted shampoo in applicator bottle to my scalp

Rinse thoroughly and remove the twists to make sure all product is out of hair

I STILL do not remove the ponytail holders

Place Turban over hair to absorb excess water

Step 3.)

Time to Roller Set

Take out ponytail holder (I do this one section at a time)- I actually cut them out

Spritz each section with Aloe-vera juice

then Chi Keratin Mist

then apply Chi-Silk Infusion

Detangle with Wide-Tooth Comb

Then again with smaller comb

Split Section in Half

Then Roller set

It took me 30 minutes to Roller set my entire head and detangling was a BREEZE!!!

Current Regimen

For the Month of September, I plan on following the below regimen. I haven't been to the gym for almost a month now(shame on me) so co-washing barely exists unless I need to wear a "down" style during the week.

So, for now, I am keeping things as simple as possible.

Weekly
Pre-poo (with a conditioner and oil mix)
Wash
Deep Condition
Always follow up with Porosity Control
Leave-ins
Air-dry
Blow-dry underprocessed hair on High/cool air to stretch out

Daily
Moisturize & Seal

Nightly
Apply Sulfur mix to scalp at least 2 times a week
Spritz scalp/new-growth with Aloe Vera Mix at least 4 times a week
Wrap hair with satin scarf

Styling
Buns during week
Braid-outs on weekends if I feel like it

Wash Day

Friday nights/Saturday's are the days I pamper my hair.  It doesn't matter if I party all Friday night..I always..do my prepoo to prep my hair for Saturday's wash.

So, last night was no exception.

So around 12:30-1AM

I pre-pood with:

2 Egg Whites (for protein) mixed with
2 - Table Spoons of Mane n Tail Moisturizing Texturizing Conditioner
1- Table Spoon of Black Strap Molasses
1- Table Spoon of Karishma Henna
few drops of Castor oil

*If I didn't have all of these products, I would have pre-pood with a mild protein conditioner such as ORS Hair Mayonnaise mixed with maybe castor oil

This Morning(@ 8AM) I:
 rinsed out the pre-poo,
conditioned a little with V05 Moisture Milks
Then Clarified my hair and scalp with Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with Water

Next Step is my Moisturizing Deep Conditioner Treatment:
First I oiled my scalp with EVOO
then Applied my Deep Conditioner
Aubrey Organics White Camellia Conditioner mixed with Hemp Seed Oil  

Then I went under my heating cap for about 10 minutes

I have a lot of errands to run today and I have to braid/twist someones hair which may take up to 7 hours, so I still haven't washed out the Deep Conditioner.
Right now, I'm walking around looking like this(I have a conditioning cap under the scarf):

After I wash the DC out, I will just add leave-ins, detangle, then airdry. Haven't figured out how I will wear my hair tonight(if I go out) or tomorrow yet.

* It may seem like I do a lot, but it's just because of all my mixes. I'm just prepooing, washing then Deep Conditioning which can be done with 1 plain product each

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming Soon on 6-FOOT-LONG-HAIR- I didn't forget about you all!!
Brazilian Keratin Treatment: The Good, bad and ugly
Airdrying Techniques
How to Retain Length
Benefits of Ceramides and Black Strap Molasses
Skin Care
Curbing Breakage and Shedding
Hair Care while wearing Wigs and Weaves
Video on how I detangle while stretching

Updated Regimen

1x week

• Prepoo
• Shampoo or do a Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
•  Deep Condition with Moisturizing DC/ with heat for at least 10 minutes
• Add leave-ins
• De-tangle
• Airdry

1 x Week

• Co-Wash
• Leave-ins
• Airdry

Daily & Nightly

• Moisturize and Seal with oil

Quarterly (Every 3 Months)

• Full Henna Treatment

Relax every 4 months or more
Protective Style 98.9% of the time

Dust Ends (3/4'')
every 8 weeks or when I see an increasing amount of split ends

Trim Hair (1 inch)
every 6 months


Products

Prepoo Mix:
3 table spoons of Karishma Henna
1 table spoon of Black Strap Molasses
a few drops of Castor Oil

Shampoo
Dr. Woods Black Soap with Shea Butter
or I would do an ACV rinse


Deep Conditioner
Aubrey Organics White Camelia Conditioner
few drops of oil

Conditioner for Co-washes
Mane n Tail Deep Moisturizing Conditioner

Leave-ins
Wash Day:
Aphogee Pro-Vitamin Leave in and Aphogee Keratin Green Tea Leave-in
then
Giovanni Direct Leave-in

Cowash Day
Mane n' Tail Enriched Moisture Enriched Hair Strengthener
then a mix of  
Giovanni Direct Leave-in
Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Relaxer
Organic Root Stimulator- Lye in Regular

formally Silk Elements Shea Butter- Mild Lye

Weekly Protein & My Winter Regimen

...well light protein.

So, I tweaked my regimen a little and for the last two weeks I have been doing light protein treatments that worked out really well. So for this winter, to make sure my hair is in tip top shape, I will be adding weekly light protein treatments to my regimen.

I will be using the Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructer. My hair always feels strong, yet soft after washing this out, but to balance everything out I do a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment after.




I live in New England, so you can just imagine how my winters are. It does get really cold out here and I do have to switch up my regimen/products to accommodate. In the summer I was doing a lot of co-washes, which is great for the moisture and I needed to do so after my work-outs, so that's one part of my regimen that will stay consistent except I wont be doing it as often.  I always moisturize my hair daily, but in the summer I used Glycerin based products...for the winter, I will needed a heavier/oil based moisturizer instead. I am also using Shea Butter mixed with Coconut Oil to seal in moisture because it's heavier and will hold me down in the winter months.
I will still Airdry, but I will always make sure my hair is dry before going to sleep and leaving the house.

To be honest with you, my regimen isn't changing that much, but here it is:

Once a week: Usually Sundays
Prepoo Saturday Night- Conditioner mixed with Hemp Seed Oil
Shampoo- Sulfate Free Shampoo
Protein Treatment- Leave on for 5 Minutes then Rinse
Moisturizing Deep Conditioning Treatment- Leave on for 1-3 hours without heat(I may sit under the dryer from time to time for an hour)
Leave-ins, Detangle Hair(after 6-8 weeks post I will detangle when I prepoo then wash in braids) and Airdry
Once a Month- Add in a Porosity Control or ACV rinse

1-3 times a week
Co-wash with Moisturizing and Volumizing Conditioners after work-outs
Leave-ins and Airdry

Daily- Spray scalp with Aloe Vera Juice Mixed with Castor Oil, Eucalyptus Oil and Rosemary Oil
Spray Hair with just Aloe Vera Juice mixed with Rose Water and Distilled Water(which is Kept in the Fridge)  OR
Moisturize hair with either a Moisturizer (such as BioInfusion Olive Oil or Hollywood Beauty Carrot or Olive Oil)
*Sometimes I will do both depending on the condition of my hair
Seal with Shea Butter mixed with Coconut Oil

Monthly- Dust ends and length of hair  ( I trimmed a half inch of my hair last night..but I will only dust lightly going forward and get a professional trim on my next relaxer)

Protective Styles Daily and on Special Occasions/When I go Out- Braid outs or Bantu-Knots

NO DIRECT HEAT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Regimen Revised

I have incorporated a few new things to my regimen which will help me during this long relaxer stretch. I am trying to go 5 months until my next relaxer, right now I am almost touching 4 months (15weeks post).

I also started working out(yay). I was doing it at home for a few weeks faithfully and now that I see I am committed to this, I got a membership to the gym and will be going there M-F. and every other Saturday.

Now that I work out, I have to co-wash my hair after every work-out to remove the sweat which can cause dryness to the hair.

So here's my Regimen:

Monday- Shampoo, Condition(moisture or 3 min mild protein reconstructer), Rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar/Water, apply leav-ins, seal

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and every other Saturday-  Co-Wash, apply leav-in's, moisturize, seal,

Thursday- Co-Wash, Coffee or Black Tea Rinse, Deep Condition(Moisture), leave-ins, moisturize, seal

Sunday is my day of rest :-) - I will just moisturize and seal.

I will be bunning/ clipping my hair upMonday- Friday
Braid-outs or other Styles on Saturdays & Sundays
I always Airdry in braids with a satin roller on the ends
I only moisturize once a day now because I will be co-washing very often
I detangle my hair almost everyday when 80% airdried to keep my hair from matting, knotting, and being all tangled up. So far this has worked for me.
Henna once a month
Relax every 5-6 months (hopefully only twice a year now)
*Subject to change

Posts coming soon: How to take care of relaxed, roller-setted hair after/during working out
                                Benefit's of Co-washing
                                Hair Benefits of Working out
                                Henna Experience
                                Coffee Rinse Experience

My Regimen

As promised(haha like 5 minutes later), here is my regimen. This is tentative. I will update with a better regimen soon.

I put this picture up because this is where I was this time last year, which I call the beginning of my healthy hair journey. Sorry I don't have a better one. Previous to this, my hair was a little below shoulder length, but it was so thin and ugly. By the way, my hair type is 4B

Anyway, back to my regimen:

Regimen To Follow For the next 4 Months.

Goal- APL by December 2010

Last Relaxer- March 27, 2010

Moisturize and seal twice a day- Shea Butter Mix and Profectiv Megagrowth Anti-Breakage Strengthener

Oil Scalp every other day with Wild Growth Oil Light Moisturizer mixed with Sublime Sulfur

Shampoo Hair once a week with Organix Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shampoo

Deep Condition twice a week. Sundays and Wednesdays
ORS Hair Mayonnaise(protein) and Lekair Cholesterol(just started these two)

After each wash follow up with Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Leave-in- Aphogee Pro Vitamin mixed with Distilled Water, Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship, Shea Butter Mix

Put hair in one braid and Airdry

Relax Every 3-4 Months- Next Relaxer in August or September