My Fall/Winter 2013 Natural Hair Regimen

#ChunkyFlatTwistnIt #BobbinIt Keeping that shape tight with flexis!  I do my own cuts now with these joints.

Hola Chicas!

So, my Fall/Winter 2013 routine is a 2011 throwback.  It’s pretty much identical, save for a few new products and techniques.

The theme for this season… Functional Protection. Mainly because of time, but also because there’s the issue of the second head I’m responsible for and I’m just damn tired!

Read On!>>>

Here’s a quick look at my Fall/Winter regimen–

• Wash, condition and deep treat twice a month
• Curlformers to stretch
• No combs or brushes… fingers only… for everything
• Rock twists or buns 99% of the time- Functional Protective Styling 
• Henna once a month (at least)
• Oil ends every day
• Moisturize that situation every 3 days or as needed w/ leave-in, following up with an oil to seal it in
• Satin bonnet scarf, every night, no exceptions (I stopped doing this for like a year, lol) 

For those that want the REAL–

• Every 2 weeks, I remove my twists or messy bun, and-
• Apply a deep conditioner to my dry hair, apply a plastic cap and microwave heat cap for 15-30 mins.
• Hop in the shower and rinse that ish. 
• Thoroughly saturate hair with water and divide into two (left and right).
• Cleanse hair with shampoo– one side at a time. Rinse thoroughly.
• Apply a slippery conditioner to both sides in a smooshing motion.
• Pass my head back under the water stream for a sec, for better distribution and added slip.
• Clip the hair up and out of the way to complete shower rituals.
• Take down the right side and finger detangle a bit — detangling the rest under the water stream with fingers only. Follow up with the left side. If the conditioner is washed away and tangles are left, I add more conditioner, and repeat. The power of the water stream and the slip of the conditioner should make detangling a breeze! *Since my hair was previously detangled and in twists or a protective style, this step takes no where near as long as it used to!*
• Hop out of the shower and allow hair to dry for 15-30 minutes… blot excess moisture. Apply leave-in and oil.
• While listening to Bey go in on Countdown, stretch the hair with Curlformers.
• Allow them to set for 5 hours. If you got places to be, attach the soft bonnet to the blow dryer and get on with it- cuts drying time down to an hour or so. 
• Remove the rollers and finger comb through the curls with oil. Wear hair in two big flat twists, or one high bantu knot, or a bun, or, most often, chunky twists. I opt for 5-6 chunky flat twists. 
• For chunky flat-twists, I do 5 total (with a deep, Frederick Douglas part on the side) – 2 in the back, one on each side and one in the front going toward my forehead. 
• Start with the back- left side. Finger detangle with a little oil to smooth and twist. After the twists are complete, I apply Oyin’s Hair Dew to the length of each twist, focusing on the ends. I don’t use much… just enough to lightly dampen and moisturize. This also helps the twists to set.
• Once all the twists are complete and slightly damp (from the moisturizer), I tie on a satin scarf, leaving the twists dangling, but the crown secure to control the frizzies. I then tie on my satin bonnet scarf. This is how I sleep.
• I leave my hair in twists much of the time, rocking them under hats, or pulled back. Nothing fancy.  I also rock messy high and low buns when I need to express my diva. 

#BohoChic

#BunninIt

To maintain the twists-

• Re-moisturize as needed, re-twisting frizzy twists whenever necessary.
• Oil EVERY.SINGLE. DAY. It keeps the hair soft and pliable. I usually do this at night before going to bed.
• Heated moisture/oil treatment at least once a week

For when I wanna get ‘cute’ (once a week)-

• Add moisturizer to the ends, and roll the last few inches of each twist on a flexi rod (the red ones). 
• Allow to fully dry.
• Remove the rollers, and release the twists.
• Fluff and go!
• Later that evening or the next day, I re-twist using the steps above.

4 days ago I did a fresh curlformer set and wore it in a bun until last night when I made 5 flat twists, moisturized with Oyin’s Hair Dew, rolled the ends, allowed to dry overnight and VOILA!

PRODUCTS:

Shampoos-
-Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo
-Mizani Neutralizing and Chelating Shampoo (I have hard water, so I use this once a month or once every other month)

Deep Conditioners-
-Aubrey Organic’s Honey Suckle Rose
-Aubrey Organic’s GPB
-Curl Junkie Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment
-Curl Junkie’s Deep Fix
-Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm
-Whole Fat Yogurt + Virgin Coconut or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Detangling Conditioner-
-Aussie Moist
-Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration
-Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa

Leave-in-
-Oyin’s Handmade Hair Dew (it has tons of slip and provides moisture for days!)

Moisturizer-
– Oyin’s Handmade Hair Dew (It never, ever builds up! EVER!)

Oils-
-Carol’s Daughter Monoi Serum (gifted, but re-purchased that expensive ish several times. It’s non-greasy and seems to provide more nourishment than my regular oils)
-Coconut Oil (add it to deep treatments and use it for nourishing the ends in between washes)

Tools/Accessories-
–CurlFormers
–Hair Flair Soft Bonnet 
–Hair Therapy Wrap
–Slouchy Beanie
–Satin Bonnet Scarf

Henna-
–Butters-n-Bars 

*NOTES:

-I believe this routine works for me because (1) I only work out 2-3 times a week, and (2) I don’t have a true 9-5… my chunky (and in my case, scalpy, lol) twists are worn around town and in the house (to my hubby’s dismay). If I had to be ‘in public’ more, I’d feel the need to change up my look and professionalize it a bit.  Again, if I want to unleash the diva, I execute the messy, high bun. 

– I’ve learned that applying the wet product to my loose, dry hair, can sometimes cause tangles but applying it to the twists prevents the drama. Thus, I often apply the moisturizer AFTER I twist.

-If you noticed, I apply my leave-in to damp (not wet) hair that has been gently blotted. This prevents the excess water from diluting the effects of the conditioner/moisturizer.

-I’ve reincorporated henna and apply it to my dirty, dry hair prior to my bi-monthly washing.

-If you’re a stretcher, get some CurlFormers. It’s the most effective method I’ve used to date.  It smooths out the hair better than any blow-out and is the perfect primer for any protective style.  Magic Leverage is a cheaper alternative, but after Googling around, the reviews don’t look so hot.  If you’ve tried Magic Leverage, please leave a review in the comments below!