So I was curious after our recent discussion on regimens gone wild: In your opinion, what products or ingredients are the bedrock of a solid natural hair regimen? If you cut through all the product junkyism and the frenetic product search, which products/ingredients stand as critical components to a successful regimen? And if you don’t know the answer, please be real about that too.
Say why the product/ingredient is important to you, and how long you’ve been natural. (It would be nice if you could also tell the length of your hair… since long hair regimens tend to be more rigorous than medium/short hair regimens… but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.)
10 Responses
@Keisha, could you please tell me what protein conditioner you use? I had been using ORS Hair Mayonnaise, but someone pointed out that it has SLS in it, so I’m thinking I should stop using it once the one I have has run out. Thanks.
@Jc…thanks! that means a lot, esp coming from you. i’ll be looking out for that shopping list post :o)
@ivy…the alcohols in gels, mousses, and hairsprays are usually the ones that lead to dryness and breakage. so, if you use those styling products, then you might want to find ones that don’t contain alcohols if possible
wow. I had no idea some alcohols were ok for our hair. I was ready to throw out all my products that even mentioned alcohol in the ingredient list. guess I need to slow down and do more research. thanks keisha!
@Keisha – I’m very impressed by your list of conditioning agents. I was actually preparing a ‘shopping list’ post for my blog which lists the best agents for conditioning, sealing, softness etc. I have to say that your research is spot on.
@mellowyel…not all alcohols are drying.
https://community.babycenter.com/post/a650595/good_vs._bad_alcohol_in_hair_products.
i couldn’t find the original link on naturally curly, but it should get you started in the write direction!
So, I’m just a little over a year natural, short to medium length hair, and still kind of a product junkie (I just bought a bunch of natural ingredients to mix up my own hair cream, and I’m beginning to think I didn’t need 4 different varieties of oil…). I’m still figuring things out, but I’ve found that a good hair oil and vegetable glycerin serve me best. I don’t worry too much about what I use to wash my hair – if it’s too stripping I just do a pre-poo. I’ve also tried a bunch of conditioners and found that most were fine, so I don’t bug about that either – I simply add a little oil if it needs more slip or moisture.
@keisha – it’s interesting that you find fatty alcohols better for moisturizing while other people avoid all alcohols like the plague because they find that they dry out the hair. That’s something I need to look into, along with your deep conditioning method – that would make my life so much easier.
Keep it simple:
a mild shampoo
a moisturizing conditioner
aloe vera or coconut oil or shea butter (individual or all at once) to moisturize and style
i like Als dress and accessories. her hair is simple chic and doesn’t distract from her outfit. good choice!
as far as ingredients/products that are critical to a regimen, IMO:
a good cleanser to remove dirt and debris from the scalp and hair. i like bentonite clay for this but a commercial clarifying shampoo works when i don’t feel like going through the process of preparing, applying, and rinsing a clay hair mask.
a good protein conditioner to reinforce my strands. my hair likes protein, so i do this regularly.
a rich moisturizing conditioner to make my hair supple and elastic. i look for fatty alcohols or behentrimonium methosulfate high in the ingredients list. the more fatty alcohols (e.g., cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl) the better!
for stylers and moisturizers, water, coconut oil and castor oil win hands down. basically a penetrating oil and a sealing oil. i like butters for my thick, frizzy roots instead of waxy pomades that tend to build up faster.
i didn’t list a deep conditioner because with butters, oils, and humectant, you can turn a good (even not so good) regular conditioner into a moisturizing deep conditioner. but i think deep conditioning should be a regular (no less than twice a month) part of a solid regimen.
my hair is layered from APL to MBL.
I have curly hair. I don’t know what type and I’m not sure how long. My hair fell about a half-inch below my bra strap last time I had it straight, but I haven’t had it straight in forever, so I’m not really sure.
How Long Since I’ve Been Natural – Almost 15 years. I’ve cut my hair twice during that time. Now I’m letting it grow.
Routine – I like to keep a super-simple routine. I’m not fussy and I don’t have the patience to spend hours on my hair. Lately, I’ve been wearing a lot of twists that I pin up in an attempt to keep my hair off my shoulders. In the summer, I wash and go a lot.
Shampoo – I’ll use pretty much any moisturizing shampoo, but I like Garnier Fructis a lot. Lately I’ve been transitioning to castile soap, which I find is gentle on my skin and hair. Part of my push to go all natural.
Deep Conditioner – I like the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonaise. I find it’s amazing on my hair. I think it’s well-worth the $10 price tag. A lot of times though (especially in summer), I just mix my own blend of mayo, olive or coconut oil and egg yolks and I find that works just as well.
Leave-In – I use 2. First, my hair LOVES the Organic Root Stimulator Elastic-i-Tea Herbal Leave In Conditioner. I swear my curls are at their best with this stuff. I put it on right out of the shower and let it soak into my wet hair. After about 15 mins, I apply Garnier Fructis Leave-In Curl Conditioner (now discontinued). I bought up a bunch of this when I heard it was being discontinued because this leave-in combined with the i-tea really leaves my curls soft and manageable and I can comb them out (with the help of spray-on detangler). I’m looking for a replacement for the Garnier Fructis conditioner since I’m on my last bottle, so I will be trying products again soon.
Daily Moisture – I just use the Dark and Lovely Beautiful Beginnings Kids Ouchless Detangler, For Relaxed or Natural Hair. I use this to keep my hair moisturized and to keep it from geting totally tangled up between washings.
That’s my routine.
Her locs look great! I think she has point: sometimes it’s the black people in the ofice that have the most problems with your natural hair.
https://womanofcolour.blogspot.com