Category: Health and Wellness

Natural Hair Care: What Wash Day Looks Like

Well hello, I know it’s been a minute but I am back in the saddle again. It’s so easy to get caught up in life and the next thing that steals your attention. But I’m here, more determined than ever to stay focused on keeping this blog running. I’m looking forward to bigger and better things this year. Chocking my first year of blogging(well not quite) up to a learning experience. For my 2018 debut, I have decided to focus on a topic that I am pretty passionate about. And, not to brag or anything like that, but it’s my most asked-about question as I have gone about my regular daily grind. So I have decided to share my personal experience and knowledge about how I care for my natural hair, so hopefully, other folks can benefit from what I have learned.

I have always had pretty healthy, medium length relaxed hair. However, I had always been toying with the idea of returning my hair to its natural state. But I didn’t. Partly because I didn’t know how to, and secondly, I didn’t think I would know how to care for it and style it appropriately for the corporate environment in which I worked. Can I get an amen!! Am I reading your mind? No, your thoughts are real and you’re not alone.

I will share with you my natural hair weekly wash day routine. These are the steps I take to care for my natural hair along with the products I use that have worked for me so far.

Before I get into mentioning products, please note that this post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for further details.

Weekly Wash Day Routine

Step 1(Wash and Condition)

Wash and condition hair with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. Any brand will do honestly. You will eventually find your favorites. If you feel that your hair has a lot of product build up or is very dirty you can use a clarifying shampoo. I recommend and really like Pantene Truly Natural Clarifying Shampoo. Try to minimize the number of times you do this though and I will tell you why below.

Suggestions/I have used:

  1. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner  (not sulfate free but pretty mild)
  2. Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Conditioner
  3. Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Conditioner
  4. Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Shampoo and Conditioner

Step 1a(Co-Wash)

In between the times when you feel like your hair needs a wash and condition, do a co-wash instead. Co-wash stands for conditioner wash. I have never used an actual conditioner to wash my hair. I prefer to use the pre-packaged ones which offer a little more cleansing than the straight conditioner. This is a one-step process.

Suggestions/I have used:

  1.  As I am Coconut Cowash Cleansing Conditioner
  2. Ouidad Curl Immersion Low/No-lather Coconut Cleansing Conditioner  

Step 2(Deep Condition)

Deep condition every week. I think this is probably the most important thing to take away from this post. You can alternate between one that has protein and one without but I don’t think it’s too critical to do that. Just follow the instructions on the label for the one you choose.

Suggestions/I have used:

  1. SheaMoisture® Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow and Restore Treatment Masque (This is BAE, my hair loves this stuff)
  2. Ouidad Coil Infusion Triple Treat Deep Conditioner (extremely pricey but so worth it. I only use it when my hair needs a real boost, like gold)
  3. Eden Body Works Coconut Shea Hair Masque Treatment
  4. Mielle Organics Babassu Oil & Mint Deep Conditioner
  5. Shea Moisture Mongongo and Hemp Seed Oil Deep Treatment Masque (this is a recent addition but it has delivered.

Step 3(Styling)

The steps below are what is called the LOC method. LOC stands for Liquid or Leave-in/Oil/Cream. Depending on how much hair you have you might want to section your hair to do these steps.

Step 3a(Liquid/Leave-in)

After your hair is cleansed and deep conditioned, follow up with a leave-in conditioner(must-do). Make sure your hair is still wet. I mix them as well if they mix well together. I have used many different ones but here are a few to try. You will figure out your fave.

Suggestions/I have used:

  1. Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Leave-In
  2. Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in/Detangler
  3. Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in
  4. Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross In(recent fave)
Step 3b(Oil)

Next seal in all that moisture with an oil of your choice

Suggestions/I have used:

  1. Coconut Oil
  2. Olive Oil(I love this because of the consistency but I use the others too)
  3. Castor Oil(I prefer to use this as a scalp oil, mixed with tea tree oil)
  4. Jojoba Oil
Step 3c(Cream)

Now this third step, Cream, is where we might deviate depending on the style you’re going for. My go-to style is a twist out so I will tell you what I do for that.

  1. I section my hair into large sections according to how I want the style to be.
  2. Each section I divide into smaller sections that would be the size of a twist. The size of each twist is up to you but the bigger you make it the less defined it might be, which usually translates into more volume. So use your judgment. I like medium to small as my hair is relatively thick and doesn’t need much help with volume.
  3. For each twist, I add my twisting butter and butter gel, detangle the section with a Denman brush/comb then two-strand twist. When I get close to the end I twirl/coil. Pay attention to how much product you’re using. Not too much, not too little and pay special attention to the ends. Alternately, you can wrap your twist on a perm rod to make your ends curly.

My ride or die cream products

  1. Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter
  2. Camille Rose Naturals Aloe Whipped Butter Gel

Other Suggestions/I have used:

  1. Mielle Organics Twisting Souffle
  2. The Mane Choice 24 Karat Twisting Gel

You can let your hair to air dry or you sit under a hooded dryer. Make sure it’s completely dry before you take it down or you will end up with a frizzy mess. Some people like that though.

Step 4(The Takedown)

Now for the main event, the takedown…

  • You have to be real gentle here. First of all coat your fingers hands with an oil of your choice(see list above)
  • Separate the two strands of the twist. I would say do this over your whole head. You may decide to leave it like this depending on the look you’re going for.
  • If you want more volume you can separate some more. This can get tricky. You will need to separate each of the previously separated strands where your hair naturally wants to come apart. Kinda shake it and separate gently and use your oil-covered fingers to kinda twist/twirl them back in place, smoothing them a bit.
  • Do this over your entire head, then use a pick to fluff your roots for a little extra lift, styling to suit the look you’re going for.

Here is what my hair looks like after all of that! Not bad right?

Hair after this process

Step 5(Preservation)

How do I preserve this style you might ask. First and most importantly, make sure you’re keeping your hair moisturized. Your environment will determine how badly you need to do this. You might need to add some more moisture(or not) and seal. Whatever you do make sure you sleep in a satin bonnet or on a satin pillow. If you have pretty long hair you might need to do a pineapple to preserve your curls. This just means gently piling your hair on the top of your hair and securing it with a silk scrunchie or rubber band. Your head should look like a pineapple when you’re done. For me, I just slip my bonnet on and go to bed. In the morning, I fluff, pick and go!

If your style doesn’t last a whole week, you can invoke the headband or make a puff. It will be just as cute/professional.

Let me know if you have questions because I am sure I missed something. I have broken it down as simply as I can. Once you get started your routine will evolve as you learn your hair and what it likes. That’s what natural hair care is all about. One point to note is that most of these products are all-natural or organic.

Just in case you’re interested, most, if not all these items are available from every body’s favorite store, Target. One secret I will share is that I use their RedCard so I get 5% off of everything I purchase. Sweet! If you would like to sign up for one, can either be debit or credit,  you may do so here.

Amazon is another great option for purchasing most of these products, and more! Most drugstores and beauty supply stores also carry most of these product lines.

Natural Hair Wash Day

Getting My HEALTHY Back – Six Tips to Get and Stay on Track

Think with me for a moment… Just picture this… flat, washboard abs; long and lean toned legs, Michelle Obama-like arms; firm perky butt; an overall well-proportioned hourglass figure. This is the image that has been portrayed as the “perfect” healthy body that appeals to many of us as females. Some of us naturally have that(thank God for good genes), others simply don’t or would have to work extremely hard to get just a few of these features or none at all. My point is, this probably should not be your goal. We should be more focused on getting and staying healthy. This post is focussed how I am working on getting my “healthy” back. Please take the journey with me.

The more we age, the harder it is to stay healthy(especially if we are not trying to). When we get to a certain age, shapewear becomes our friend. You know what I’m talking about. That’s why Spanx has grown to what is today as a company. Lots of very loyal customers. No shame in that! It is what it is. Things we used to be able to do in our early twenties and get away with it no longer happen. Our bodies just do not co-operate. That’s just how it is. I am sure I am not telling you something you don’t know. But there is hope!

Here’s how it began for me. If anyone knows me they would say that overall I am a healthy person. I watch what I eat, I don’t overindulge. I have no problem with exercise and for all intents and purposes, one would say I was doing OK. But nuh-uh!! That is definitely not good enough, especially if you are basing your assessment of your health on conjecture, assumptions and how you feel. I am here to tell you there is a better way. Before I share with you my own journey and offer up some suggestions, I want to put it out there that I am not by any stretch and health professional. I am not providing medical advice on what you should do. These are merely suggestions based on what I have found out as far as my own health is concerned.

Know your numbers

Medical ChartFirst of all, I would suggest that you set a baseline. Know your numbers. There is a reason that medical professionals recommend having an annual physical. I know I was guilty of this. We only go to the doctor when we are sick. I know culturally for some people, not having to go the doctor is grounds for bragging rights. It suggests that you are well preserved, healthy but that is not always the case. Not that it’s foolproof, but an annual checkup where medical professionals review and monitor your “numbers” is a way to increase the chances of your remaining healthy. The simplest number I can think of is your weight. Many people don’t even know how much they weigh because they are afraid to find out.

This is an opportunity to make tweaks or adjustments to stay on track with your health.  Or worse yet, you might be able to get ahead of some issue that may be developing without your knowledge. When you know where you are, you can make the changes you need to make with the help of your doctors. This is especially helpful if you are genetically pre-disposed to certain illnesses that can be controlled or prevented. For example, diabetes or hypertension. Diabetes runs rampant in my family, so I am particularly sensitive to that.

Ask Questions

I know it’s kinda intimidating when you visit the doctor. Noone wants to get bad news about their health. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Prepare for the visit and mention everything that concerns you about how you have been feeling. When you get your results, ask what the numbers mean and what you can do to improve on them. Or get a second opinion if you need to! Remember, you are responsible for your health, not your doctor.

Make the Decision to Get into Action/Set Goals

Set Goals

Now, this is often the hardest part of any journey back to health. Many times the actions required are not fun and or will make us uncomfortable in some way. We either have to give up certain things, start doing others. And sometimes its a matter of life or death. Seriously!! At the end of the day, it’s all about choice. If we want to live healthily we usually have tough choices to make. Face it, being unhealthy is the easiest thing in the world to do. No effort required.

I am not going to sit here and pretend that I have it all together. I had to make some tough decisions after I came to grips with my own numbers. First of all, I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life. That scared the daylights out of me because I honestly didn’t see it. I felt it but obviously, I was in denial. My once very healthy numbers were becoming borderline. They weren’t bad but they were shifting in the wrong direction. That was enough for me to know I needed to take action. And that I did. Here is a simple tool you can use to set and measure your goals.

Set yourself some targets that you want to achieve. Make them realistic based on where you are and work towards them. Don’t wait for 2018 to start. Now is as good a time as any. Let’s get ‘er done!

Do what works for you

I knew what I wanted to accomplish and I had to figure out what I needed to do to get there. Full disclosure; the numbers I was most concerned with were my weight, my A1C (3-month blood sugar count) and my cholesterol. Now, this seems like a lot, right. But what I learned is that they were all connected. So if I chose to start with my weight control first, then I would likely see improvements in the other 2 numbers.

Like most working mothers living in a big city, time is not something I have in abundance. To control my weight I would need to get back on track with exercising and controlling my diet. I have to admit I was feeling the effects of the extra weight I was carrying. I just felt heavy!

At that point, I decided I needed to give myself the gift of my health. I needed to focus on myself for a bit and not feel guilty about it. I realized I would be no use to my family if I was constantly not in good health. In spite of what I perceived as my lack of time to focus on exercising, I decided to take it one step at a time. With the help of my husband, he got me going to the park that is a mere 2 mile away, walking/jogging on the summer evenings while our son used the playground. We would do it together and that made a huge difference to my motivation. Now I am back in the gym and incorporating weight training. Something I hadn’t done in almost a year.

I don’t know what your circumstances are and where you live but get active. Do something! Start small and build on it. No more excuses, right? Let’s do this.

Have regular checkpoints

MeasureWhile you are on your way and implementing the suggestions, decide on certain milestones and checkpoints against your goals. Set yourself some rewards along the way. Maybe it’s a new outfit or dinner at a special restaurant. Whatever floats your boat. This way you stay motivated to continue. Checkpoints could be weight check-ins, followup visits with your doctor after 3 months. Whatever it is, just decide it up front and followthrough. That’s how you know if what you’re doing is working or if you need to make adjustments.

Maintain(Don’t fall off the wagon)

When you get to your goal. You must maintain. Don’t fall completely off the wagon. This is hard but easy. No need to succumb to old habits but when you get to where you need to be, you will be able to indulge once in a while as a treat. For example, those of us who like to imbibe but the blood sugar doesn’t agree with that, once you have your numbers under control, you have more latitude to indulge without going overboard of course. Maybe on special occasions rather than every day.

I hope this post has inspired you to get informed about the current state of your health and for those of you who already know, to get into action. Please share your stories with us to inspire more of our readers to get their health back!

 

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