Ladies will usually go to the store buy hairspray, curlers, rollers, hair dryers, dye, bleach, electric brushes, straightners, expensive shampoos, etc. Nevermind all that, save your money and stop abusing your hair! Throw all that out! Chemicals, ammonia, bleach and chemical straighteners change the chemical structure of your hair permenantly. Stick to the professionals for all if that if you must, for the least damage. Hair that has already been dyed does not need color applied again, (unless it has faded out) apply to new growth only. My hair is virgin and that is best, when I grey I will use henna. However henna is best for dying hair red and brown, not sure about blonde. Henna is more like a staining and to my knowledge is non-damaging. There are also many dyes that are ammonia free and natural. Lemon juice is great for lightening hair, add to hair and go sit in the sun for awhile.
As for the daily care of your hair lets start in the shower. Skip daily washings, every 2-4 days is ideal but go progressively longer between washings to keep your scalp happy. If you have straight hair or loose waves/curls, brush your hair before getting in. Tighter curls, ringlets and ethinic hair is best brushed wet with conditioner. Curly hair is much more fragile and prone to breakage, be extra gentle. The debate is on about washing with cold water as opposed to hot, I stick with lukewarm water so you dont freeze your head. If hot water damages fabric and dries out your skin, there is no way it's good for hair. Wash just with water, gently massaging your scalp. Now if your shampoo is like most shampoos, and it contains , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate either throw it out or use it to clean your shower. Seriously that ingredient is used in dishwashing detergents and engine degreeser, not to mention its toxicity! I tried no poo and loo poo, baking soda & apple cider vinegar etc, but my hair looked and felt like poo (even after 3 months of transition). So I went with natural organic baby wash, and its great! I also use natures gate shampoo as well when I need a deeper clean. Your scalp may be itchy at first or even flake, but this goes away. Now if I use traditional shampoo my scalp gets red itchy and flaky. You can also use conditioner only if your hair is dry and skip the wash completely on some days.
When washing your hair, only use the baby wash on your scalp only. I like to lather and repeat since my hair is always naturally oily. But do not wash off right away, leave it on the scalp and massage in, let it sit for 5 minutes. Gently lather and scrub your scalp with fingertips, but do not tangle up your hair! Leave the length of it alone. Then wash out, and allow the baby wash to work through the rest of your hair. Next after rinsing throughly, use a ton of conditioner. Ditch the silicone or any -cone word. Natural conditioners do not moisturize enough for me, but I have thick curly hair. Straight and fine will do great with natural conditioner. I use natural conditoner then follow up on my just ends with a deep conditioner. Do not conditon your scalp only moisturize below the first 3". Putting sebum back on your scalp defeats the purpose of washing, and the weight causes hair to break off before it can grow. Use a large dollop of conditoner, after ringing out the excess water from your maine. Detangle if needed now or if you have curly hair. But use a detangleing comb not a regular brush!
And now for after the shower.Curly girls should try the plopping method of drying their hair with a shirt, goggle how to do this . Everyone should avoid the hair dryer like the plague and only use if its freezing outside and you are in a hurry, to prevent your hair freezing and breaking off. Use an old soft cotton shirt instead to dry, however avoid rubbing dry. I live in a desert so my hair dries outside in less than 10 minutes. Skip during this time, only minimal detangling if you really need it with a detangler. Waiting for the hair to dry to brush it does much less damage, usless your a curly girl then brushing dry hair is a no no. Let air dry completly or sit by a fan or go outside for a faster dry.
Once a week use a deep conditioner. I like to get out of the shower, dry off my hair, and plop with a tshirt. Leaving on at least 20 mins but overnight is ideal. Do not deep condition too often, and only apply to length of hair concentrating on the ends.
And on to styling. Don't and embrace your natural texture. Moroccan oil is your best friends for frizz, not silcone. Waves and curls are best made plopping in a t-shirt. Straight hair....well brush it straight. Minimize clip in use of all sorts, like hair clips and extensions. Don't use any other hair extensions of any kind, but if you must skip the glue, weaves and silk fronts etc. Use permanent extensions or clip-ins for the least damage. If you must use heat always use a heat protectant. Raven haired ladies have beautiful hair so embrace it and grow it out. Afros, braids, rows, and wearing hair straight down is the way to go. If you have the length braid your hair daily after hair dries or while damp but not while soaking wet. Wet brushing causes too much damage while hair is in a delicate state, try to brush only with a conditioner or a good detangler.
When brushing, make sure you have invested in a few good brushes. A detangling comb, a boars hair soft bristle brush and an oval/square brush with plastic ball tips. If it pulls your hair out or hurts then its not the right brush for you. Start in sections, and work from the bottom of your hair starting with the boars hair brush first. You can brush all the hair with soft or switch in between. Save any fine tooth combing for last. Be careful, take your time and treat your hair delicately. If you are busy doing any kind or chores, housework or running errands then braid your hair or wear in a California bun or a traditional bun. If wearing a pony tail wear it a different places so you will not weaken your hair in one spot. Only use quailty metal free hair ties and acessories that do not pull or rip out hair. Also use a hair sunscreen when outdoors and cover your skin too.
Look into soft heat free hair rollers or you can also bobby pin hair into a curl, and pin it to your head. Naturally curly hair when air dried and detangled in the shower, will curl up on its own naturally. Skip brushing when dry unless you want waves. My hair is ringletes when dried this way, wavy when brushed out and straight if brushed while wet and after it dries. Then I use moroccan oil or coconut oil sparingly on my ends.
When cutting your hair, only do so as needed. I cannot tell you how often that is, but getting the dead ends off is a must. Start with a good haircut by a trusted professional. More expensive places are not better, busy hairstylist have the most experience, go where the crowd goes! I actually get mine cut at Walmart and they have never let me down once. Show them how much hair you want off, dont just say an inch or two, some people love cutting long locks off! Be firm though its your hair not theirs. After getting a trim up, avoid razor layer cuts. Bring your own quailty shears and invest in a good pair. Mine were only $9 at sallys and work great. As often as possible, do a search and destroy dusting. Literally go through sections of your maine and clip off split ends or any ends that look nasty. This takes a lot of time, im not going to lie. Regular cuts do not take off split ends that occur higher up the hair shaft. This wont substitute for regular trims, but do not go in for monthly trims. Instead go 2-4 months between. I have been only cutting my own hair with search and destroy trims and the professionals do not believe me when I say it has been months if not a year or two since I have had a professional trim. Now I do dust trim my ends regularly and only have a professional to layer my hair when needed. But I do not recomend this, I spend many hours clipping off those split ends that I am prone to. Layers can give you lift and thin out thick hair. Straight cuts are wonderful for straight hair. Also if you don't want bangs, start growing those out now.
With some TLC and changing the way you care for your hair, you too can have locks that reach their terminal length. Remember to treat your hair like delicate lace and your hair will be as beautiful as can be. Simplify your hair care and join me on my grow out journey, and comment below if you know of other good natural hair care products.
-Misses Moldavskaya
