Hair Care Challenge
In August of 2015 I decided to start taking care of my hair, so I found a hair care challeneg that is supposed to go on for 6 months. The purpose of the challenge is to help your hair grow longer by getting it healthy and having "length retention", which apparently is the real key to growing long hair. In order for our hair to grow longer, past our shoulders for most of us, we need the ends to remain in place and not break off.
By doing the challenege, I have corrected moisture issues in my hair, because I was not regularly moisturizing my hair or conditioning it. And I am using protective styles to retain length and limit breakage.
I am also reading a book called, "The Science of Black Hair" by Audrey Davis- Sivasothy , that a friend of mine let me borrow. It is a great book for those who want to learn more about black hair and how it works. Whether you are natural or have relaxed hair, it is a great book to read to help teach you proper care and maintenance of your hair.
Since it has been a while, I am going to post my steps for my weekly hair care regimen along with some new things I have learned.
Wash Day
1. Most days I will do a hot oil treatment with a combination of olive oil and coconut oil. I smooth the oil throughout all of my hair and then cover with a shower cap for at least 30 minutes.
2. After allowing that to set, I rinse my hair thouroughly with warm water.
3. I shampoo my hair with a sulfate free shampoo and rinse it out. (I use Shea Moisture, but there are other natural sulfate free shampoos out there.)
4. Then I condition with a natural silicone free conditioner. (Stay away from anything that says dimethicone, or any cone.)
5. While the conditioner is still in my hair, I use a wide toothed comb and my fingers to gently detangle my hair.
6. Afterward I rinse my hair, being careful not to tangle it again.
7. I rub a silicone free leave-in conditioner throughout my hair. (I use one by Cantu that says it is silicone and other ingredient free).
8. I usually rub an oil mixture (of coconut oil and olive oil through my hair) but The Science of Black Hair book suggests using oil last to seal in moisture. I have been using the LOC method, which is a leave-in conditioner, oil, and then cream, but I think I will try the cream first to see if the moisture or protein from whatever cream I use penetrates my hair better. However, I have had lots of success using the LOC method.
9. After the oil, I usually rub a silicone free cream through my hair. I have been using Eden Coconut and Shea Butter hair pudding.
What I have realized is that the majority of my products focus on moisture, and have little to no protein. However, my shampoo and conditioner both contain proteins. After reading "The Science of Black Hair" I realized that over moisturizing my hair could be just as bad as applying too much protein, however, you always want to use more moisture than protein. I personally think protein should be used sparingly, but you have to pay attention to your hair.
I only wash my hair with the shampoo once a month and the rest of the weeks I co-wash with my conditioner. Because of this, I know my hair is getting less protein. This last week I went ahead and took out my Eco-styler gel which contains protein, mixed it with some of my leave-in conditioner, and applied it to my hair after I applied my oil. It left some white flakes but for the most part dried clear and my hair still feels moisturized. Because the book really stresses that you have to find a good protein and moisture balance, I decided I may use the protein on my hair once a month as well, depending on how it feels. I decided to use the protein because I felt my hair becoming limp, I thought it needed more moisture because it seemed as if my hair was no longer retaining moisture, but the more moisture I added the dryer it felt.
I noticed that my hair is experiencing less breakage and has gotten longer. Below are some pictures of my progress after a little more than two months.
If you liked this article or found it useful, don't forget to share it with your friends!
By doing the challenege, I have corrected moisture issues in my hair, because I was not regularly moisturizing my hair or conditioning it. And I am using protective styles to retain length and limit breakage.
I am also reading a book called, "The Science of Black Hair" by Audrey Davis- Sivasothy , that a friend of mine let me borrow. It is a great book for those who want to learn more about black hair and how it works. Whether you are natural or have relaxed hair, it is a great book to read to help teach you proper care and maintenance of your hair.
Since it has been a while, I am going to post my steps for my weekly hair care regimen along with some new things I have learned.
Wash Day
1. Most days I will do a hot oil treatment with a combination of olive oil and coconut oil. I smooth the oil throughout all of my hair and then cover with a shower cap for at least 30 minutes.
2. After allowing that to set, I rinse my hair thouroughly with warm water.
3. I shampoo my hair with a sulfate free shampoo and rinse it out. (I use Shea Moisture, but there are other natural sulfate free shampoos out there.)
4. Then I condition with a natural silicone free conditioner. (Stay away from anything that says dimethicone, or any cone.)
5. While the conditioner is still in my hair, I use a wide toothed comb and my fingers to gently detangle my hair.
6. Afterward I rinse my hair, being careful not to tangle it again.
7. I rub a silicone free leave-in conditioner throughout my hair. (I use one by Cantu that says it is silicone and other ingredient free).
8. I usually rub an oil mixture (of coconut oil and olive oil through my hair) but The Science of Black Hair book suggests using oil last to seal in moisture. I have been using the LOC method, which is a leave-in conditioner, oil, and then cream, but I think I will try the cream first to see if the moisture or protein from whatever cream I use penetrates my hair better. However, I have had lots of success using the LOC method.
9. After the oil, I usually rub a silicone free cream through my hair. I have been using Eden Coconut and Shea Butter hair pudding.
What I have realized is that the majority of my products focus on moisture, and have little to no protein. However, my shampoo and conditioner both contain proteins. After reading "The Science of Black Hair" I realized that over moisturizing my hair could be just as bad as applying too much protein, however, you always want to use more moisture than protein. I personally think protein should be used sparingly, but you have to pay attention to your hair.
I only wash my hair with the shampoo once a month and the rest of the weeks I co-wash with my conditioner. Because of this, I know my hair is getting less protein. This last week I went ahead and took out my Eco-styler gel which contains protein, mixed it with some of my leave-in conditioner, and applied it to my hair after I applied my oil. It left some white flakes but for the most part dried clear and my hair still feels moisturized. Because the book really stresses that you have to find a good protein and moisture balance, I decided I may use the protein on my hair once a month as well, depending on how it feels. I decided to use the protein because I felt my hair becoming limp, I thought it needed more moisture because it seemed as if my hair was no longer retaining moisture, but the more moisture I added the dryer it felt.
I noticed that my hair is experiencing less breakage and has gotten longer. Below are some pictures of my progress after a little more than two months.
This was at the start of the challenege
The very first day of the challenge
Maybe a week or two into the challenge
Probably a month after the challenge
This past week
If you liked this article or found it useful, don't forget to share it with your friends!
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