Wednesday, August 3, 2011

natural hair care basics part 1 - the beginning that changed everything


The first good advice that I received was to avoid the ingredients mineral oil and petroleum/petroleum. I know for some people these ingredients work but for us they didn't. I would use it to moisturize Leelee's hair, then a half an hour later it would leave her hair dry and dead looking. It was a no-no for us. Avoiding products with these ingredients was the first step to improving Leelee's hair. The first products that worked for us was Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Moisturizer and Darcy's Botanical leave-in conditioner. From there I learned of other brands and products with natural ingredients. I am way too picky about what I use to style and moisturize Leelee's hair with.

For shampoos and conditioners not so much. I learned its best to choose a shampoo that is sulfate and paraben free. I don't care too much about the ingredients in the shampoo or conditioner though. I also learned about the term co-washing. Co-washing is where you only wash with conditioner. I have gotten the best results when applying a generous amount of conditioner onto her hair and detangling, letting it sit for a few minutes and then to completely rinse out. This is what works for us.

There's also the importance of moisturizing and sealing. Sealing the hair keeps the moisture in. Both is important. I've heard it's best to apply a water based moisturizer first and then seal with oil. A water based moisturizer means the first ingredient is-water! For sealing I like to use extra virgin coconut oil. I'm still working on a official routine for Leelee because I dont moisturize her hair as much as I should.

During detangling it is important to be gentle and patient. We no longer have moments where we yank hair out of ponytail holders anymore. I gently separate the hairs and spritz as much conditioner mixed with water as I need if there is a knot of any sort. I currently do not use any brush. I gently finger detangle and then run my fingers through small sections of her hair. I start at the bottom and work my way up.

As for styles, I recently learned about protective styles where you do not use heat, rubberbands, metal ponies, ballies or barrettes. The style shouldn't be tight at all and the ends (the oldest and most fragile part of your hair) should be tucked away and protected. Some protective styles are box braids, cornrows and puffs. Some people even consider wearing the hair out as a protective style. Different things work for different people. Find out what works for YOU (or your kid!).

30 day challenge, day 10 - put music on shuffle and list 10 songs that play
Dontjudeme!
1.) Messy marv - wanna b yours
2.) Drake - closer
3.) Philthy Rich & the boy boy mess - find a new b**** ft lil blood
4.) Lil wayne - brand new
5.) The jacka ft freeway - exclusive
6.) Chrisette michele - so in love ft rick ross
7.) Kreayshawn - gucci gucci
8.) Philthy Rich - funk or die
9.) One chance - sexing on you
10.) Mariah Carey - always be my baby

2 comments:

style='clear: both;' BraidwithMe said...

She is so cute!! I absolutely love her curls!! It looks like you're on the right track with her hair. Don't forget about the satin bonnets/pillowcases. :-)

style='clear: both;' allthingscuteandgirly said...

Thanks Aisha. I totally forgot to mention that because we don't have either! Thanks for pointing that out I will mention on a future post. We need to work on our night routine.