Naturally curly hair can be very dry, fragile and short if it’s not properly cared for. Formulating a healthy hair care regimen can help you care for your naturally curly hair and grow your hair to lengths you never dreamed were possible.
A healthy hair care regimen is a systematic plan designed to improve and maintain the health of your hair. Building and most importantly following a solid regimen will help you meet your healthy hair length goals. At the beginning of your healthy hair care journey, all the information may seem a little overwhelming and you may not know where to start. But once you develop a workable hair care regimen and start following it, the plan will become second nature and you will see your healthy hair grow.
When developing your healthy hair care regimen, make sure you start off with a feasible plan. You don’t want to feel overwhelmed or stressed out with things you have to do to your hair because you may quit all together. Your regimen should be as simple as possible to get the job done but must include plans for cleansing, conditioning, moisturizing, sealing and styling your naturally curly hair.
Writing down your hair care regimen is a good idea so that you can make sure you’re following each step to ensure healthy hair growth. Eventually, your healthy hair care regimen will become second nature to you.
The following categories may be included in your health hair care regimen,
Pre-pooing
Pre-shampooing or pre-pooing as its commonly called in relaxed, transitioning and natural hair communities is applying a conditioning product and/or an oil to the hair before shampooing. Allowing the pre-poo product to sit on the hair minutes before shampooing allows the product to coat the hair strands in an effort to combat dryness that may come from using a shampoo.
Time will need to be allotted to pre-poo your hair before cleansing. Pre-pooing can be done before each wash with shampoo.
Cleansing your hair and scalp
Choose how often to cleanse your naturally curly hair and scalp.
Cleansing your hair and scalp is very important because you are removing grime from every day exposure, product build-up, excess oils and dead skin cells. Cleansing at least once a week no more than once every two days will help keep your pores from getting clogged and your hair strands from being weighed down with old product.
Choose what products to use to cleanse your hair and scalp
Shampoos
If you choose to cleanse your naturally curly hair and scalp with shampoo then please find a sulfate free shampoo. Read the ingredients and make sure the shampoo doesn’t contain sodium/ammonium lauryl sulfate. Shampoo should leave the hair clean but not stripped and lauryl sulfate will strip your hair strands of its natural moisture and cause your natural hair to become super dry. Sulfate free shampoos can be used as often as you decide to cleanse your natural hair and scalp.
Co-Washing
Co-washing as it’s commonly referred to is cleansing your naturally curly hair and scalp with conditioner instead of shampoo. Cleansing with a sulfate free conditioner is just as effective as using a shampoo to remove debris, product build-up, excess oils and dead skin cells. You just won’t have the suds that come from a shampoo. Co-washing can be used between washes or as your main cleansing agent as often as you decide to cleanse your natural hair and scalp.
Every now and then your naturally curly hair may not feel fully clean or just might look dull, because there maybe some product build-up and/or excess oils that just won’t go away with your regular cleansing agent. When that happens you may need to use a sulfate free clarifying shampoo to give your natural hair that squeaky clean feeling without stripping your hair of its natural moisture and leaving it dry. Use clarifying shampoos only when needed on an intermittent basis.
Moisturizing Conditioner
Once the natural hair and scalp are clean, always, always, always follow up with a sulfate free, moisturizing conditioner. Conditioners help replenish moisture in the natural hair strands that was lost through the cleansing process. The restored hair shouldn’t be dried out once the conditioner is rinsed away.
Leave-In Conditioner
As an added layer of moisture, leave-in conditioners are used to continually rehydrate the hair strands. After rinsing the conditioner from your hair, it’s a good idea to follow up with applying a moisturizing leave-in conditioner. Evenly distribute the leave-in conditioner in your natural hair after each condition.
Deep Conditioner
Deep conditioners help treat naturally curly hair to the equivalence of a spa day. Deep conditioners are typically thick and creamy and are intensive treatments that dry hair needs to rejuvenate. Deep conditioners can stay on the hair for an extended amount of time without causing damage. Allot yourself at least thirty minutes to leave the deep conditioner on your hair, and once its rinsed out, your hair will be soft and manageable. It’s a good idea to deep condition at least once a month.
Detangling Your Hair
Once a creamy conditioner is applied then use a wide tooth comb or your fingers to detangle your hair. Take care and have patience when removing tangles. Work the tangles free without pulling your natural hair strands out. Remember naturally curly hair is fragile.
Daily Routine
As part of building a healthy hair care regimen, you have to address what you’re going to do to your natural hair on a daily basis. Proper moisture is key to any healthy hair care regimen and for many of us that means adding moisture everyday to achieve and maintain healthy naturally curly hair. If there isn’t enough moisture in the hair its possible your hair will become brittle and can easily break off.
Moisturizing your Hair
Water based moisturizers in a spray or a creamy product are great for adding moisture to your natural hair. Start applying a nominal amount of product to the ends of your hair and work your way up the hair shaft toward the root. If you saturate the hair with product, it’s possible your hair will be wet the next morning and you will have to style wet hair.
Sealing your Hair with Oil
Once you moisturize your natural hair, follow up with an oil or a butter mixture to seal in the moisture that you just added to your hair. Sealing the moisture in will help your hair retain moisture throughout the day.
Styling your hair has to be included in your healthy hair care regimen. Styling in low manipulation and protective hair styles can help ensure that both, moisture and length grown are retained.
When building your regimen, make sure it’s flexible enough to change when your hair needs change. For example from summer to winter, your hair may need more moisture in the winter because the air is dryer.
There’s a ton of hair information out there, and remember what works for one may not necessarily work well for another. You will need to experiment with different products to find just what works for you and when you find what works for you, stop looking.
