Rebuilding My Regimen

I know you have heard many transitioners or naturals talk about how their hair and its needs have changed over time. I can now attest to this. Products that use to work for my hair no longer work or don't work as well. Techniques that use to work are also no longer valid.

Here is an example: I use to wash my hair in one big section. As I got further into my transition I realized this method did not work as well for me. I experienced more breakage and tangles with this method. I learned quickly that I had to change my technique of detangling my hair to sectioning my hair into 2-4 sections depending on my hair's current state.

Because of changes in the state of my hair I realized I needed to rebuild my regimen. Figuring out what your regimen will be can be quite complicated if you make it. So many questions may run through your mind. How often should I wash my hair? What products do I use? Should my regimen change with the seasons? The truth of the matter is that you may not always know the answer to these questions right away. It may take some trial and error to discover what works for your hair. Your regimen could and should change over time. Keep in mind your should be consistent with your regimen to have a fair evaluation of what works for your hair and what does not. Remember no two head of hair is alike and what works for someone else may not work for you.

Some key components and steps that should be the basis of every hair regimen (in my opinion) include:

• Cleanser (shampoo or co-wash)
• Deep Condition
• Leave in conditioner
• Moisturizer
• Sealant (Butter or Oil)

Some things that you may want to include in your regimen, but may not be necessary for everyone includes:

• Pre-poo or pre shampoo treatment
• Hot oil treatment
• Tea rinse
• ACV Rinse
• Henna
• Clear rinse
• Steam treatment
• etc.

For my regimen I have had time to discover what works for me and so my regimen was created. These are the steps that will almost always be completed on my wash days:

1. Co-wash every two weeks. Clarifying my hair will replace a co-wash at least 1x a month.
2. Tea rinse at least 2x a month to reduce shedding
3. Deep condition either before or after co-wash/shampoo. When using a clarifying shampoo I will always deep condition after washing. When deep conditioning before I co-wash, I will follow up with a conditioner rinse. Conditioner rinse is referring to a 3-5 minute conditioning treatment to put moisture back into my hair.
4. Apply a leave in leave-in and possibly follow up with moisturizer (Note: My leave in may also be my moisturizer).
5. Apply a sealant which will more than likely be an oil.
6. Style as desired.

A few things that I may incorporate whenever I feel necessary will be clear rinses, pre-poo treatments, hot oil treatments, and oil rinses. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about my new regimen let me know. Again, thanks for following my journey! 

Wash Day with Clear Rinse

For those of you who follow me on Twitter you know that I tried my first clear rinse last Friday. I will be sharing my experience and results with you. First let me tell you about my wash day and the products I use.

I did an pre-poo with EVCO with a cap for about 30 minutes. I had just come off a 12.5 hour clinical rotation and I was extremely tired, but still did a pre-poo. I feel as if a pre-poo is a vital step in my wash day. I then shampooed with L'oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate-free shampoo. Truthfully I am very satisfied with this shampoo and my be adding it to my regimen permanently. I don't have to use a lot of the product and it doesn't dry out my hair. I DCed overnight with NTM Daily Conditioner. I do NOT like his stuff. I've used it 2 or 3 times already and I'm not impressed. It does not moisturize my hair the way it should. I think this is why I was experiencing breakage after my protein treatment. I will not be repurchasing this conditioner.

I didn't get a chance to wash the conditioner out until about 2pm. I rinsed then I tried my clear rinse. I used the the Jazzing brand from Sally's BSS. I sectioned my hair in four parts and added the product to every section thoroughly. I kept it on for 10 minutes and then I rinsed. I did not see an immediate change as others had. Well I did notice a little shine, but nothing that wowed me. I used Hawaiian Silky 14-N-1 as a leave-in. This was my first time using the product and I'm not sure how I feel about this product yet.

I air-dried overnight using my scarf and ponytail method. Saturday I went to visit in my-laws and Alabama. I was quite surprised and pleased with my Love's Aunt's hair product stash. I used her IC Fantasia Heat Protectant to flat iron my hair. I didn't use much at all. I was pleased with this product and will be purchasing this product for myself in the near future.

My hair turned out great! My hair had so much body and swang!!!! It had a shine out of this word. I could tell my cuticles were closed because my hair was soft, smooth, and light. But of course I didn't get to enjoy my hair out for long b/c it rained cats and dogs ll weekend. My hair got wet the first day. Surprisingly my hair didn't frizz the way of normally does. Now without further delay here are pics of my results.