Eight ( 8 ) Basic Things You’ll Need to Build a Basic Healthy Hair Care Routine
1. Shampoo
Moisturizing shampoo: The best moisturizing shampoos typically don’t have ammonium or sodium lauryl sulfates, and will not leave your hair feeling tangled, stripped, or squeaky clean. Instead, they are just gentle cleansers that leave your hair feeling detangled and soft.
Clarifying shampoo Use the product once a month or twice if you use hair grease and other heavy oils on your hair quite often.
A clarifying shampoo will strip your hair of the product build-up and is a great way to start your hair off every month. After clarifying, your hair should and will feel squeaky clean. A chelating shampoo, on the other hand, works on a deeper level to remove any stubborn mineral deposits on the hair.
Don’t forget that every head of hair is unique. Based on your situation, you might need more than one shampoo in your routine. If you don’t have hard water and you only use a small selection of hair products, you might only need a moisturizing shampoo to complete your natural hair regimen.
If you use a lot of oils and styling gels, you will need to consider using a clarifying shampoo every once in while to occasionally remove this product build-up.
2. Moisturizing Treatments and Deep Conditioner
A good hair care routine should include a great moisturizing conditioner. Moisturizing conditioners generally follow the moisturizing shampoo after every wash. It’s recommended that you deep condition your hair once a week for up to 20 minutes, preferably with heat (in a hooded dryer).
For those who wash their hair twice a week, only one of those washes should be followed by deep conditioning. You can simply apply the deep conditioner for about 15 to 20 minutes with or without the heat for that weekly wash. The time you deep condition your hair is all up to you.
It’s easy to get confused on the conditioning front, as not all the moisturizing conditioners are created equal. There are a number of moisturizing formulas that don’t deep condition the hair very well, regardless of how long they are left on the hair.
Such formulas are mostly crème rinses or instant conditioners that are meant to coat the outside of the hair strands and give them a soft feel. They also work very quickly and are meant for people that have very healthy, well-maintained hair.
Note: If your hair feels gummy or stretchy after using a moisturizing conditioner, be sure to add a protein based conditioner to your next cleaning session.
3. Protein-based Treatments and Conditioners
These are primarily used for rebuilding the hair strands, and work best when they are integrated into an already high-moisture hair care routine. The frequency of using protein-based conditioners and treatments will largely depend on the strength of the product you’re using and the amount of hair damage.
Note: If your hair feels dry or you notice breakage, then you should hold off on using protein conditioning. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully when using these products. Some of the protein re-constructors have very specific directions for usage.
Choose a protein treatment on the mild end of the spectrum for light touch-ups. A protein treatment on the mid-to-heavy end of the spectrum is meant for more intense protein conditioning and is ideal for color-treated hair and/or relaxed hair. Overall, protein re-constructors should be followed by a good moisturizing deep conditioner in order to restore the natural pliability and moisture of the hair.
4. Leave-in Conditioner
Leave-in conditioners usually help with hair detangling especially after shampooing and conditioning, and can actually be used as water-based moisturizers for daily use.
5. Water-based Moisturizer
Usually used for daily supplementation of moisture, the best water-based moisturizers don’t contain petrolatum, mineral oil, or lanolin.
Instead, they contain aloe or water as their first ingredient and often contain emollients and humectant that draw moisture into the hair to soften it. We recommend moisturizing your hair once or twice a day before bedtime and in the morning.
6. Natural Oils
Natural oils are commonly used to seal in the water-based moisturizer products and to help enhance the shine and pliability of hair. You simply need to first apply a small amount of the oil on the ends of the hair and then work your way up the hair strand. Some examples include Olive oil, Coconut oil , Castor oil , Avocado oil etc.
7. Protective Styling
If your goal is to grow long hair or retain your existing length, protective styling is an important part of any natural hair growth regimen. A protective style is any style that reduces hair combing or manipulation, keeps the hair up, off the shoulders, and cuts back on the use of heat.
Examples of protective styles are Twists, Mukule , Threading , Crochet etc
8. Heat Reduction
Reducing the use of heat is another key component when it comes to healthy hair growth. Heat is very destructive to the protein bonds in the hair, and even depletes the natural moisture content in the hair.
So, limit the use of heat on your hair to once a week, or less where possible; especially if you’re just starting out on your healthy hair care routine.
Take an Honest Look
Just as it’s important to know the kind of methods to use and incorporate in your regimen, it’s also important to know when to stop and re-assess your methods.
If something isn’t working for you, your hair will tell you either by breaking, feeling dry, or not growing new length over time. Although it might take you weeks or months of experimentation to get the perfect regimen, it will still come.
THANKS FOR READING !!! Natural is Healthy
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