Your voice of Hair
Imagine trying to test out and use six new products in your hair at once. Whew, the difficulty. Every where you turn on YouTube and Instagram (and all social media really) you see different products and techniques to try. Naturals with the hair you’ve been envisioning for yourself. Why not try it out, right?
I’ve fallen into this trap so many times during my natural hair journey. Without even noticing it, I’ll realize that majority of the new products I have are ones I’ve seen on the natural bloggers I follow. Are you guilty of this too? Think about all the products that you have, then really think about why you have them. It’s all fun and games until you realize you’ve spent so much money on products that don’t always work as advertised. Then it’s right back to the original products you were using in the first place.
If there’s one thing thats helped me achieve length retention it’s creating a hair regimen for myself. I’ve created a hair regimen that I stick to around products that work well with my hair. I’m strict on myself and make sure I follow it regardless of what’s going on.
Every other week I pre-poo and wash my hair followed by deep conditioning and the LCO moisture method. I re-moisturize every three days. Clarify every other month and trim off any knots and split ends I see as they come up. I incorporate protein into my diet as much as I can and a protein treatment every other month. I have staple products that work well for my hair that I have found and stuck to. This is what works for me.
Things to include in your hair routine:
- Wash days (wash/cleanse/condition)
- Deep condition
- Moisturize
- Trim
- Protective Style
- Protein treatment
Decide how often you want to incorporate these into your routine. Find staple products that work for your hair. If you need help finding products, look to influencers/bloggers that have similar hair as you – including curl patterns, porosity, and density. Research the products, see what others have to say about them! If you can, find a stylist in your area that knows how to cater to your hair and get recommendations from them.
Looking to natural influencers and bloggers is where we all start. They’ve been growing out healthy natural hair for years and have insight to tips and products that work. It’s important to use them as a guide and not the end all be all. Don’t get me wrong, you can find great products for your hair based on recommendations. But don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work for you how it worked for them. Your hair is exactly that, yours. Nobody’s hair is yours and you will be the one taking care of it. The faster you learn what your hair likes and how to care for it, the faster you’ll see a change in your hair for the better.
Let’s create regimens that work for us based on the products our hair has responded to. Ask yourself why you are buying a product before you purchase it. If it’s solely because you saw it on someone else, reconsider. Use influencers as a guide, allow your hair to have the final say. Remain consistent, you won’t always see changes immediately. If you are using a new product or technique and don’t see positive changes within a month, it’s safe to move on. Listen to your hair, it will tell you what it likes and doesn’t like.
Remember, we are on this journey together. I challenge us all to create regimens for our hair and stick to them for 6 weeks. Let’s see how our hair responds.
See you next Sunday!
