How To Create A Natural Hair Regimen – Part 1

Whenever I think of creating or adjusting my regimen, Proverbs 22:6 resonates: “Train up a child in the way they should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Truly, that is the purpose of your natural hair regimen – training your natural hair and getting it prepared for a certain level of cleanliness, conditioning and moisturizing.

There are 3 questions that I want you to ask yourself when creating your regimen and buying products.

Is this as simple as it can be?

What part will this product play in my regimen?

Should this be done weekly/biweekly or monthly?

Your regimen does not have to be complicated and you do not need a plethora of products. Each element of your regimen should have a specific purpose. Therefore, each product that is a part of your regimen should serve as a primary contributor for that specific element. Adopting the mindset that every product should serve a purpose will help you streamline your product selection, usage and expenses. The basic elements of a traditional regimen are cleansing and conditioning. However, curly natural hair has additional needs including: pre-pooing, cleansing (clarifying), protein treatments, moisture conditioning (deep conditioning) and sealing.

The specific purpose of each element of your regimen:

1. Pre-poo treatments or pre-shampoo treatments should be used to add moisture to the hair before shampooing with harsh shampoos that strip the hair of its’ moisture.

My pre-poo treatment recipe:

• ¼ cup of almond oil

• 2 tbs of melted shea butter

• 1 to 2 capfuls of olive oil

Instructions: Mix all contents in a bowl. On wet or damp hair, pour oil mixture over hair and cover hair with plastic cap for about 10 minutes before washing or starting another treatment.

2. Cleansing is a two-part equation: cleansing the scalp and cleansing the hair of old product (clarify). It is very important to clean the scalp to rid it of environmental toxins and product build-up. These toxins and build-up smothers the scalp, preventing the natural hair sebum oil to secrete. Also, blocked hair follicles can cause a host of other scalp related issues and problems.

Clarifying shampoos/cleaners strip the hair, almost to the point that the hair can “sing” or squeak. It gives the hair the ability to start over with a “clean” slate, so to speak. Clarifying the hair before introducing a new product is the same as starting with a fresh canvas when you are painting. It gives you a starting point to determine the performance of the product on clean hair. So, clarifying ends the relationship of previous products with the hair by stripping them away. Clarifying should not be done on a regular basis but adding this step to your monthly regimen or as needed will prove to be beneficial. If you have extremely dry hair, clarifying should be minimized. If you use products that contain “cones”, a moisturizing shampoo will not remove the “cones”, a clarifying shampoo is needed. The clarifying shampoo that I use is Giovanni Tea Triple Treat Invigorating Shampoo.

3. Protein Treatments – Protein adds strength to the hair strands. Healthy hair strands should be pliable and strong and not to stretchy (sign that you need protein) and not too stiff (sign that you need moisture). This is where the moisture/protein balance comes in. If you find that your hair is more elastic (stretchy) than normal and stretching without recoil or snapping back into its’ original shape; your strands may be in need of protein.

My protein treatment recipe is:

• 2 medium egg whites

• 1/2 cup of Greek Style Yogurt

• Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk Cream (add milk to another treatment, I use it for protein treatments) When selecting your cans of coconut milk, always shake the can, you should not hear the milk swooshing around inside.

• 1 cupful of olive oil

Instructions: Mix all contents in a bowl. On clean wet or damp hair, pour mixture over hair and cover hair with plastic cap for about 15 minutes. Rinse with room temp water, not hot water. You don’t want to cook the egg whites do you? Deep conditioning is a MUST after a protein treatment. Protein treatments should be done on an as needed basis.

4. Moisturizing conditioners is one category of conditioning for hair. Particularly, moisturizing conditioners should do one thing; moisturize the hair with ingredients like humectants, emollients, and oils.

5. Deep conditioning is needed especially after the hair has been stripped using harsh ingredients or after a protein treatment. I use Giovanni Direct Smooth as Silk or a homemade recipe. This is normally done with a heating cap for at least 15 minutes.

My deep conditioning recipe is:

• 1 medium avocado

• The reserved coconut milk, pour as needed to make mixture smooth (see recipe above)

• 1 – 3.5 oz container of baby bananas – if you use whole bananas, puree, those bad puppies like your life depends on it!!! If it is chucky on your finger, it will be chucky in your hair…

6. Sealing your hair strand with oils or butters should be done to “trap” in the moisture from the water and deep moisturizing conditioner. Remember that when your hair is wet, it is 100% moisturized. I like to use 100% yellow shea butter or oil (almond or avocado). Sealing the hair should be done with every wash. One great thing to remember is that a lot of products have dual purposes and can be doubled up instead of buying two products.

Your last step: rinsing the hair with cool water closes the hair cuticle which helps to reflect light providing shiny hair.

Continue to part 2 of this article

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