Coming up with a natural hair regimen can be a tedious task, therefore we wanted to give you some guidelines on trying to come-up with a natural healthy hair regime.
The regimen you create will need to be based on your hair type and lifestyle. Once you learn and understand your hair needs you are then able to create the ideal natural hair regimen. Coming up with a good plan will require some experimenting, observation and patience.
Step One: Wash with Shampoo or (Co-Wash) –Weekly or Biweekly
The objective of cleaning your hair is to remove unwanted dirt and oil that may clog your pore or prevent moisture from entering. Oh, lets not forget for hygiene reasons. When you wash your hair the focus should be on your scalp, because the shampoo will naturally start to trickle down your hair. Massage your scalp and try not to be too vigorous. You do not want to cause unwanted tangles. You should use warm water when washing and rinsing the shampoo. Warm water will help open your pores to allow dirt to be released.
Co-wash is the term used for conditioning with a shampoo. A lot of conditioners have enough strength to rid you hair of dirt and bacteria. You may also consider massaging you scalp with tea tree oil ( a natural anti-bacterial disinfectant) before the co-wash if you are worried about the conditioner not being able to do the cleansing job.
When choosing a hair shampoo stay away from ingredients such as paraben, silicone, mineral oils and petroleum. These ingredients are known to do harm rather than good to natural black hair. They may clog your pores and limit hair growth potential.
Step Two: Use a Conditioner and Detangle – Coincide with step one frequency
Due to the fact natural black hair is already dry, it is essential you use a conditioner after each wash. You remove natural oils from your hair after shampooing, it is therefore very important you add back moisture. In addition, the conditioner acts as a sealant. Therefore, when you go to rinse the conditioner from your hair you should use cool water. The warm water opens the pores, and cool water help close the pores and lock in the moisture.
When you detangle your hair, it is extremely important you use A WHOLE LOT OF Conditioner! The conditioner will help to prevent you from snagging or breaking at the ends.
Step Three: Moisturize/Seal Daily
As I mentioned previously natural black hair is naturally dry. Therefore in order to prevent our hair from drying out even further and possible breakage, it is important for us to use a daily moisturizer and sealant. This can be as simple as hydrating your hair with water from a spray bottle and adding your favorite natural oil to seal. You may also consider using a leave in conditioner that has jojoba oil or shea butter.
Play around with different moisturizing products, and find out what works best for your hair. The important factor is being consistent about moisturizing your locks on a daily basis.
Step 4: Apply a Deep Treatment – Bi-weekly or Monthly
You should treat your hair to a deep treatment at least every few weeks. Unfortunately we are unable to prevent our hair from running into some type of damage. Try to be proactive even though you feel your hair might not need the extra treatment. Ayurvedic, Hot Oil Treatments, and Henna Treatments are amongst my favor deep treatments. Find out what your hair enjoys, and incorporate it into your healthy hair regime.
Step 5: Trimming ends – Every 6-8 Weeks or “As Needed”
You certainly want to incorporate getting your ends clipped in a natural healthy hair regime. How often, solely depends on your hair needs. If you notice you have split ends often, schedule a trimming around you noticeable continuous time of need.
Getting your ends trimmed on a regular basis will help prevent split ends from breaking and damaging your hair.
How Frequently Should you Utilize your Natural Hair Regimen?
I outlined the basics, however as I mentioned earlier your hair type, length and lifestyle should help you determine how often to complete the steps above. For instance, if you work out on a regular basis you may feel the need to wash your hair more often than once a week. Nevertheless, If you need to wash your hair more than once a week, I would recommend doing so by the co-wash method. This is to prevent your hair from being stripped of it’s needed natural oils and causing it to become too dry.
In addition what you accomplish inside your program will more than likely vary according to the time of year and the climate you live in. Humid, warm climates may find their hair retains oil more and learn they may or may not need to wash as frequently.
You also may want to allow a minimum of 30 days to observe how things are working out. Make sure you adhere to the same product and brands to be able to give a good judgment as to whether or not a line of product work well with your hair
Best of luck on your own natural hair adventure!
*If you have any further questions, we’re here to help! Simply leave a comment below. Also, do you have a healthy natural hair regimen you would like to share with others? Please share by writing a comment or clicking on share your story.
I just started this journey. It’s been..interesting so far. I’ve definitely gone through some sort of style shock since I’ve stopped wearing weave. My hair is long on one side and short on the other. I’m trying desperately to work with this. This information is quite useful, since i do not condition my hair as much as I should, or leave in a moisturizing lotion/creme/routine so I can maintain moisture. I braided my hair tonight and it was quite kinky, very difficult..breaking out. I will look for a conditioner and most definitely do a co-wash. I’ve done that before but… Read more »
God blessed us with unique hair which I’m glad we are starting to embrace. I believe natural hair is the most beautiful and distinct type of hair. There’s a lot of creative things we can do with our lovely curls, coils and kinks! We’ll always stand out from the crowd, which in my opinion is a beautiful thing. Play around with different styles until you find one that compliments you…There is certainly one out there for you… Rock them curls girl!!!
Is hot oil treatment and a deep conditioner the same thing and if not can u do both every 2 weeks and on diff days?
Yes, you can use a hot oil treatment as a deep conditioner! 😉
This is wonderful information. This is my third time wearing my natural afro and I am loving every minute. I had locks for 15 years and it was time for a change. Going back to the afro was very different this time because of the grey hairs of wisdom I have acquired. I am finding out that moisture is the key to having and keeping healthy black hair. Knowing that I have tried the co-wash with the conditioner as a shampoo and I have tried the Shea Moisture products as well and they work great. I have also tried Kinky… Read more »