It’s been a while since my last post, so it seemed fitting that I make this post about something that has been requested by a few people, my hair care routine. I have been natural for 2 years and 9 months, so far it’s been a great journey and an eye-opening experience.
I’m saying it was an eye-opening experience because, during the 1st year, I had no idea how to look after my hair. My hair was constantly hard and dry so I decided to have my hair in protective styling, I knew how to keep those hairstyles clean and my hair moisturized (it was a win-win situation). I opted not to do the Big Chop because I've never liked how to short looks on me, I feel like my face is too chubby for super short hair, so I decided to transition. I chopped my relaxed hair six months after my last relaxing treatment, which was in January 2015, after then my hair was constantly in protective styles, mostly braids. The breaks in between the hairstyle were about a maximum of 7 days which I would not recommend because on average one’s hairline needs a break of at least 3 weeks but my hair did grow rapidly fast during this time. So, in April 2016, I decided to do the Porosity Test so I could know what kind of hair I had so and then what kind of products would work best for my hair. After doing the test I knew natural oils, alone, would not get my hair to be soft and moisturized. Which kind of sucked because, at the time, coconut oil was like my holy grail. I used it on my hair all the time, but the moisture from oils just wasn’t being absorbed by my hair.
I also decided to change the shampoo and conditioner, I changed from Hask’s Argan Oil Range to the OGX’s Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Range. I made use of the Coconut Hair Food ORS to moisturize the scalp and Afrobotanics Super Growth Crème for the actual hair. The crème is really rich so product build-up is inevitable if you have braids or any other protective styling so I wouldn’t recommend you use it on the scalp too much while having protective styles.
However, after some time I did end up changing some of my products, this happened at the beginning of this year because my focal point was now trying to combat my dandruff issue. I used a hair food that my hairdresser provider and it worked, unfortunately, I don’t know the brand name of the product. There was some improvement with my dandruff issue, but just not enough. So, around June/July, I decided to try out the Head & Shoulders Anti-dandruff African hair range. I got the shampoo, conditioner, treatment masque, hair food and spray (which I haven’t used because I haven't had any protective styles since buying the products). The products are amazing, but my favourites are definitely the treatment masque and hair food. The treatment really revives my hair and scalp always feels cleaner after using it, I do make use of the treatment every 5-6 weeks. I use the hair food on every Wash day to moisturize my scalp while my hair is still wet, the wash day happens every 2-3 weeks. Then for the twisting part, I put some of the Afrobotanics Crème on my hair then twist my hair, section by section. After completing that I then allow it to air dry whilst it’s twisted.
Lastly, I achieved this look by parting my hair in sections then making semi-chunky Bantu Knots. I then left my hair in Bantu knots for a minimum of 24 hrs because it takes a while for my hair to completely dry when I air dry it and the longer I leave the Bantu knots the more stretched the hair is. For a more stretched out afro, make the Bantu knots thinner (just use less hair for each Bantu knot).
My Current Hair Products:
Photography: Ria Vuri