Mine has changed here and there since the beginning of the year based on how my hair was responding, and on setbacks I encountered... Woi! I'll touch on THAT in more detail in another post! (Side-eye) Lol.
So in the beginning, I hadn't a clue where to start exactly. It was when I happened upon www.justgrowalready.com and saw Jeni's hair progress and how organized she was with her hair care, I was in awe to say the least, and so I decided that since we had a similar hair type maybe her regimen would work for me.
I think that was a good place to start. Following the basics of an established regimen, and most importantly understanding the reason for each step, helped me to pick what would most likely work for me.
The following are the key aspects of my regimen so far, I'm still open to hearing any tips and tricks from you guys, I'm still learning after all! :-)
FROM WITHIN... :-)
- Vitamin World hair skin and nails multivitamin - growth
- MSM 1000mg once a day - growth and manageability of new growth
- Garlic tablet once a day - reduce shedding
- WATER WATER and more WATER - 3L per day (I try)
- Green smoothies every other day at least (again sometimes I slack off on this one) I'll post some recipes soon.
- Protein! I try to get my daily requirement in with lean meats or protein powder, you can calculate your daily requirement on www.kashi.com.
- RELAXATION, meditation, prayer, these things are soooo important. Life gets difficult for no reason sometimes, and with heightened stress, hair growth takes a back seat as far as your body is concerned. If not for hair growth, but general health, its good to incorporate this one in your LIFE regimen :-)
- Exercise! I love love love running, so this isn't too much of a chore for me, but if its not your thing, I'd suggest you find some physical activity that you actually like or can work with that gets you to sweat for at least 1/2 an hour, 4 days a week. This increases blood flow to the scalp and thus optimizes hair growth, plus its a great stress reliever!
- PATIENCE, man, easier said than done! Especially if you're a go-getter-busy-body like myself! You just wanna see results already! But yeah, give yourself a chance, your hair is growing no doubt about that, why else would you need to relax every 8 weeks or so? You will reach your goals if you just stay focused and enjoy the journey.
- Positive Vibes! Surround yourself with positivity! Nay-sayers help to boost some people, but they can hold others back, only you can know yourself and how you respond to negativity. You set your hair goal, and you WILL reach it! If person X doesn't think so, thats their business! :-) I have been so blessed to have some amazing friends who have been nothing but supportive, listening to all my hair talk over and over again, lol, I can get carried away. Without them this journey would have be less fun for me. Hugz Charlz!
FROM WITHOUT... :-)
- Detangling: I detangle with my fingers first in sections (finger-detangling)* followed by a wide tooth comb then my Denman brush*. I have to be awake and well fed before I take on this process because trust me it can be time consuming depending on wether my hair wants to be a diva that day, lol. This MUST be done before I pre-poo or wash because I've found I bet the least breakage when I detangle at this stage. I CANNOT comb wet hair, I get waaay too much breakage.
- Pre-poo: this is basically conditioning the hair or helping to protect it before you shampoo, because shampooing strips the oils from our hair and makes it vulnerable to dryness and breakage. Pre-pooing for me consist of a hot-oil treatment with coconut oil. Sometimes I'll let the oil sit ovenight then wash in the am.
- Washing: I wash with shampoo once a week or once every 2 weeks, its not set in stone because I do it basically to remove product build up. I know someone is saying "gross!" Lol! Worry not, because I exercise regularly I actually "Co-wash" every other day or just after a rigorous exercise routine. Co-washing is basically washing with a conditioner instead of a shampoo. I need to keep my scalp clean so the follicles are free of build-up and more able to get their growth on! Lol. For shampooing I use Design Essential Moisture Retention Shampoo, and for co-washing I use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner.
- Deep conditioning: I try to do this twice a week, or at least once a week if I'm verrry busy. I use a mixture of conditioners and oils for this, or if I'm in a rush ill use an ORS replenishing pack. I'll do a post on deep conditioning mixtures separately and soon. I put the mixture on my hair either after shampooing and patting dry with a cotton T-shirt. I let the mixture sit with a plastic cap on my head and go under over-head dryer for 45mins. Then I rinse it out with COLD water to seal the cuticles. I make my own deep conditioning mix, the recipe for which I'll put in another post soon. But if I don't have time or I'm feeling lazy, I'll use ORS Replenishing Conditioner packs.
- I "Dry deep condition" my hair just before I go to the gym - this basically means I apply a conditioner to my dry hair then plait it or bun it before I go to the gym. The hair should not be wet or dripping! A little goes a long way. After exercising I just rinse it out! Simple huh? Love it! For this purpose I use any Tresseme moisturizing conditioner.
- Light Protein conditioner every 2 weeks. For this I use Aphogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor.
- Stronger Protein: deep conditioning once a month. For this I use Nexxus Polymedic Emergency Reconstructor.
- Air-drying: This took some months to perfect for me, whew! But basically after I rinse out the conditioner I wrap my hair with a cotton T-shirt for about 10 minutes then I take it off and put a silk scarf on like in the pic below.
- Moisturizing & Sealing: While my hair is air-drying I'll mix castor oil, sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil in my palm, rub it together and seal my ends while they are still semi damp. When 80-90% dry I'll add Neutrogena Triple Moisture Leave-in Conditioner to my hair in sections and seal with grapseed oil. Then I will plait it and tie a scarf on my whole head, and off to bed! After wash day I'll moisturize and seal daily with the leave in conditioner and grapeseed oil to sectioned hair and replait or twist.
- Low-manipulation hair styling: eg twists, braids, braid-outs, twist-outs. The less you brush or comb, the less breakage you'll have, and the more hair you'll retain on your head!
- Longer term protective styling: As of 2 weeks ago I put my hair in small plaits and decided to get a wig, for those who know me, this is a shocker! Lol, but I figured I'd give it a try. I still wash my hair and deep condition as usual but my hair remains in the plaits. Hopefully I'll see good length retention with this method, we'll see, I'm in the trial phase.
- Silk scarf or silk pillow case (or satin) is a MUST to protect your hair from rubbing and breaking on your cotton pillow case while you sleep. Also it helps to retain moisture.
- Tea rinses* once a month or once every 2 weeks to reduce shedding and increase strand strength.
- Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse* once a week or once every 2 weeks to flatten the cuticles of my Low Porosity* hair.
Okies, so thats about it! The above is my basic regimen framework. If my hair needs more moisture I'll up the moisturizing and sealing and moisture deep-conditioning, if it feels adequately moisturized I may moisturize and seal every 2-3 days instead of daily. It all depends on what my hair needs. It takes a while to get to know your hair intimately, lol, especially if you've always been going to the salon, but once you get the hang of it, its smooth sailing from there!
*These items will be explained further in another post, very soon! :-)
Xoxo
Rachie :-)
*These items will be explained further in another post, very soon! :-)
Xoxo
Rachie :-)
No comments