Quickest, Easiest Natural Hair Care Regimen Ever!

In my first or second blog post, I stated that over the next six weeks I would find go to healthy meals, but what good is all this fly (I mean beyond obvious health benefits) if my hair looks like rats been sucking on it?

I have been looking at natural hair care regimens and this is what I am finding:
Friday: Pre-poo overnight (put grease and conditioner in your hair and sleep on it.)
Saturday: Co-wash your hair. (Wash with conditioner which no cosmetologist will tell you is a good idea. They suggest using a sulfate free conditioner.) Do whatever you plan on doing to it so it can dry.
Sunday or Monday: Take it down! You are fit to leave the house.
Somewhere in the middle of the week: You require some sort of hairdo renewal so that you can make it back to...
Friday!

So, I have been looking for a few go to styles for when I go back to work and just in general. I need to bring sexy back! I have been considering how I will maintain my fitness routine when I go back to work. One issue that I will face is maintaining my hair-do. A lot of black women don't workout because it will totally ruin a do. (I know! I was one of those women for years, but all that changes now!) We don't have the luxury of having hair that is well accepted in its natural state within the workplace. You can do semi-natural--you know all the styles with all the products all over YouTube. That is what I call semi-natural because there is nothing natural about all that work! So, I began my quest for a few low-maintenance hairstyles that will allow me to work out and not look like the 70s THREW UP on my head (although I have donned that look on many occasion).

So tomorrow, I have a plan! This is something that I need to have perfected before I go back to work. I am no fan of doing big work to my hair more than once a week. Even when I wore my hair pressed straight, I never did more than wrap it at night to maintain. Never put heat in more than once. In fact, contrary to popular belief, my hair grows really well pressed! but is isn't so good for my new active lifestyle. Anyways, I refuse to spend too much time getting cute. There are too many other things I would rather do!

So, tomorrow:


First, I will wash my hair-just regular with one trick. I find that adding a dime sized amount of oil to my handful of shampoo as I wash leaves my hair soft and reduces tangle. (Don't know if you will find that tip elsewhere on the net. I haven't seen it, but it is an awesome substitute for the whole prepoo step. I don't have all weekend to work on my hair!) I like to use baby shampoo (no tears and detangle) for the last wash because it makes my hair easier to comb. As far as the oil goes, I use what is in the house. I have used castor oil. Tomorrow, I will use olive oil because there is some in the kitchen, but any runny oil will do.

Next, I condition as usual. Sometimes, I comb at this juncture, but it is really not necessary. Then rinse.

Third, I detangle my hair. I use detangler, some serum (like Frizz-Ease, but whatever is cheap). I often add moisturizers and oils at this point, but they make my hair take longer to dry, especially the oil.

Finally, I comb out and put my hair into six to eight plaits. As long as I get this done before it dries, my hair will not tangle.

At this point, I can take down each plait and blow dry and press or let my hair air dry. If I intend to style my hair wet, I make sure that the plaits are parted

Quickest, Easiest Natural Hair Care Regimen Short Recap:
Wash with shampoo with a dime-sized amount of oil. (Baby shampoo is an awesome choice.)
Condition
Use detangler/leave-in and serum
Plait hair with any desired products before it dries
Blow dry and/or style

I only really own less than 10 products, detangler (I'm so tender headed), Liv, IC Gel, serum, beeswax edge stuff, regular grease, hair oil (like Hot Six Oil or the red African Pride), Pressing creme, and Kinky Curly Knot Today. That's it! Nothing fancy and nothing over $5. The only reason that I have this many is because of the variety of styles I like to wear, but this will do it all for me! Only additions are shampoo, conditioner, and whatever oil I can get my hands on (other than Crisco or Wesson) for the wash process. And not having any of these products won't even slow my process down. I move on without!