Updated Regimen Basics & PICTURES!!

This is kinda like a rough draft of the basics that I do with my hair. Some things have changed, so this is why I am reposting. I also threw in a few collage photos!!
Hope it makes sense lol if it doesn't, feel free to ask your questions in the comment section.

-1st week I wash with my black soap shampoo, usually scalp only & let the lather run down the length of the braids to cleanse them.

-2nd,3rd,4th & 5th week I rinse with water & deep condition only

-finger detangle before washing by spritzing hair with a  water/conditioner/oil mix in a spray bottle & a dime sized amount of my crisco & coconut oil cream for the ends

-wash & detangle hair in 9 sections, then loosely braid

-pre poo with my crisco & coconut oil mix

-rinse deep conditioner out with cold water

-moisturize as needed with aloe/water spritz

-use braids or bantu knots to stretch hair after moisturizing & sealing

-on "shampoo" days,I put oil on the crown of my head ontop of the lather to help prevent fuzzies

-sometimes I add honey to my deep conditioner for an added 'umpf'

I think that about covers it!

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Regimen Basics: Yet another wash day

  Wash day was a success :) wasn't as tiring as it usually is. In all it took about 4 hours,here's a rundown of what went down from start to finish:

#1-Finger detangled on moist hair w/ oils (castor/safflower mixed)

#2-Put hair in 6 braids,leaving space at the root

#3-Let sit for maybe 30mins under conditioning cap

#4-Washed scalp & braids w/ my homemade black soap shampoo,rinsed out w/ warm water

#5-Applied diluted conditioner to braids & roots (diluted w/ half really warm water & half conditioner) let sit under cap for about 20mins

#6-Rinsed out with COLD water

#7-Dried hair w/ a "turby twist" (microfiber towel or a tshirt works well too)

#8-Applying a leave in on damp hair (Yes to Cucumbers mixed w/ aloe vera juice,& my oil mix) then sealing my ends with my crisco mix & rebraiding. I ended up with 13 braids for stretching

#9-One last mist of aloe vera juice before putting on a scarf for bed. Aloe vera juice leans more on the acidic side,closing your cuticles & preventing frizz or "fuzzies".

 

  After these braids are removed, I most likely will bun it or something. I might also retire my small twists for a second untill I'm ready to commit to 4 weeks :-p
  This sounds like a ton of stuff right? Nah,it goes by fast since I've been doing this for so long. And there's a reason for every thing done.

Wanna see the basics of my wash day regimen? Check out this blog post here.

Till next time!!
Nessa*

Regimen Basics:Low Manipulation=Less Stress on your Tresses

  Wearing my hair out & down is great...sometimes. Most of the time I hate it lol yes, I really do. I am not style savvy, not even the least. I know my twists, chunky braids, twist /braid outs & a few buns...that's it. So whenever my hair is down that is my white flag,I've exhausted all other options. Its not a bad thing either, to do simple styles. The simpler a style is means the less manipulation it will require to install & remove. Which means less stress on your tresses.(ha!! I should totally trademark that saying)
   I'm big on low manipulation. Not so much protective. Let me explain: in a nut shell protective styles keeps your ends safely tucked away. I can't honestly say I've done that consistantly throughout my hair journey. What I have done is worn styles that kept my hands out of my hair,off my shoulders, & while doing so have retained a ton of length. So,yeah this works for me ;) I'm not knocking anybody who always does protective styling, in fact I push that more often than not. Its a healthy hair practice. I see it like this, when you first start out on your hair journey, you've got to have SOME type of boundaries. But as it continues you begin to see what works & what doesn't, feel free to keep what you think is necessary in your regimen. In the beginning, I co washed, do I now? Uh no. I also used tons of silicones, do I now...nope. :) see what I mean? If at any time, you start seeing some negative changes in your hair (excess breakage,etc) you can always go back to the drawing board. Easy peasy,right?
   Have you ever looked on someones shoulders or even your own & seen all the little broken hairs? Yep,breakage. One of the most common causes of breakage is friction between your hair & clothes. So even if my ends aren't tucked away in the tightest of buns, best believe my hair is off my shoulders. All that friction also can cause tangles, which may lead to knots, which in turn may have to be cut out. Yikes :(   
  Now there are some naturals who do not protective style as much now (or if any) as they did in the past, because they found out they did not need it as much (or at all). A word of caution:DO NOT copy someones elses regimen! I can't say that enough.If it works for them, thats just it. It may not work for you. Tweak it, make it your own. You guys may have similar hair "types", textures or whatever but there are other variables to take into consideration. You may have less time on your hands, live in a drier climate, or on a tighter budget, those are all important factors to think about when making your regimen. But thats a different post ;)
   Anywho, back to the subject at hand. What are your thoughts on low manipulation & protective styling?

Till next time!!
Nessa*