Regimen update time!! This is essentially the regimen that I’ve been following all fall/winter and I have no plans to make any changes for spring/summer.

WINTER/SPRING 2014 REGIMEN

Weekly to Bi-weekly:

• Option: Pre-poo with Aubrey GPB, Honeysuckle Rose and/or Vatika Oil. (I used to pre-poo wash day, but haven’t been doing it as much as my hair has been doing well. So, as long as my hair doesn’t feel excessively dry, I have been cutting it out to save time.)
• Shampoo hair in twists with DevaCare No Poo or Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship shampoo diluted in water (approx 2 oz. shampoo to 5-6 oz. water). Rinse.
• Apply Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe Restorative Treatment (or Sally GVP Joico K-Pak), gently finger comb through hair (protein) and rinse after 10-15 minutes.
• Apply Herbal Essences Hello Hydration (HE HH) to thoroughly finger detangle hair and finish detangling with Ouidad Double Detangler. Rinse.
• Deep condition with my awesome DIY goat milk hair mask (60 minutes with Hair Therapy Wrap).
• Use “Cool and Seal” DC technique to rinse DC with diluted HE HH.
• Blot hair damp with an old t-shirt or Curl Cloth.
• Apply styling products (these can vary, but generally):
  • Leave-in: Kinky Curly Knot Today
  • Cream styler: Curl Prep Sweet Butta
  • Hold: Aloe Vera Gel (cosmetic grade) *prior to applying gel, gently detangle hair with shampoo brush from tip to roots.
  • Seal: JBCO/EVOO mix.
• Style:
  • Part hair into 12-14 sections and braid roots, twist length and set ends on small grey perm rods; or
  • Place hair into two pigtail braids and wear in a crown braid for work; or
  • NEW: Place hair into 4 twists, stretch twists across head and dry (tutorial coming soon!).
• Air dry (experimented with the bonnet dryer on the “NEW” style and it worked well, so may be doing that more often).
• Wear out styles for 2-4 days.
• Protective/low manipulation style as needed once braid-out becomes too frizzy (buns, updos, side braid, etc.).
• Nightly: Loosely French twist hair and secure against crown with Goody Comfort Flex barrette, leaving curled ends out at top of head (click here for “How To” video). Wrap edges in satin scarf /bonnet for bed; Sleep on satin pillowcase.
• Apply JBCO/EVOO mix or WGHO to scalp and hair as needed, usually 1-2 times during the week. I’ve also started to use Carol’s Daughter Healthy Hair Butter again (an old holy grail product of mine) to smooth my edges and moisturize the length of my hair prior to sealing.

Deducting the time spent “marinating” a pre-poo and DC, the actual work time for my wash day is probably about 2-3 hours to wash, condition and style. I spend very little time on my hair during the week. All the heavy lifting is done on either Saturday or Sunday, but usually Sunday after hot yoga.

Every 8 Weeks (or so):

• Two step henna/indigo (roots only full strength application/gloss on length).

And that’s my regimen! I am really loving the products that I am using and think they are working very well. My shedding and breakage have been significantly reduced since incorporating goat milk into my regimen and reincorporating Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in. So, my PJ ways have been seriously curtailed and I am pleased and content with the state and health of my hair. Though, I really need to schedule a trim since I haven’t had one since last June!!

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Have you found a regimen/products which is/are working well for you?

Braid/twist-out on a blow-out

Welp. I’m at home with conjunctivitis. My eye started acting up this morning. I went to work hoping it would clear up … it didn’t. So, I went to a “One Minute Clinic” at CVS (who knew?!) and they confirmed it. My first ever case of pink eye! Ughh! Anywho, it’s highly contagious until you’ve used the eye drops for 24 hours, so I took the rest of the day off from work.

Since I’m stuck here with something better to do … no, that’s not a typo, I should be folding clothes and picking up around the house … I decided that it’s about time that I post an updated regimen!! I mean, really, there is nothing here that you haven’t read before if you have been following. But, I think it’s good to be able to point to my current regimen post if someone asks.

This is essentially the regimen that I’ve been following all summer and plan to follow this fall and probably winter too.

SUMMER/FALL 2013 REGIMEN

Weekly:

• Pre-poo and lightly finger detangle dry hair with Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose mixed with Vatika Oil (moisture).
• While detangling, trim any visible/tangible split ends and SSKs.
• Place hair in 6 twists.
• Apply JBCO/EVOO mix or Wild Growth Hair Oil (WGHO) original formula to scalp and massage for a minute or so.
• Don plastic cap and apply heat using Hair Therapy Wrap for a minimum of 30 minutes. 
• Shampoo hair in twists with DevaCare No Poo diluted in water (approx 2 oz. shampoo to 5-6 oz. water).
• Apply Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe Restorative Treatment, gently finger comb through hair (protein) and rinse after 10-15 minutes.
• Apply Herbal Essences Hello Hydration (HE HH) to thoroughly finger detangle hair and finish detangling with Ouidad Double Detangler.
• Deep condition with Matrix Biolage Conditioning Balm (30-60 minutes with Hair Therapy Wrap).
• Use “Cool and Seal” DC technique to rinse DC with diluted HE HH.
• Apply styling products (these can vary, but generally):
  • Leave-in: Kinky Curly Knot Today
  • Cream styler: Curl Prep Sweet Butta
  • Hold: Aloe Vera Gel (cosmetic grade)
  • Seal: JBCO/EVOO mix or other oil.
• Section hair into 12-14 braids or twists to stretch hair and set ends on small grey perm rods (lately I’ve been braiding the roots to keep them flat and tight and then twisting the length for volume).

• Air dry.
• Wear hair out days 2-4 days, maybe re-braiding once.
• Protective/low manipulation style as needed once braid-out becomes too frizzy (buns, updos, side braid, etc.).
• Nightly: Loosely French twist hair and secure against crown with Goody Comfort Flex barrette, leaving curled ends out at top of head (click here for “How To” video). Wrap edges in satin scarf /bonnet for bed; Sleep on satin pillowcase.
• Massage scalp with WGHO as needed, usually 1-2 times during the week.

Deducting the time spent “marinating” with my pre-poo and DC, the actual work time for my wash day is probably about 3 hours: 1 hour pre-pooing/detangling and 2 hours to wash, condition and style. I spend very little time on my hair during the week. All the heavy lifting is done on either Saturday or Sunday, but usually Sunday after hot yoga. I really have to stick with washing my hair weekly, because when I try to stretch it to two weeks, it’s usually a nightmare. Although my scalp doesn’t itch from working out/sweating daily (and I DO sweat in my head), my hair does get very matted and tangled. So, my detangling sessions are rougher and I think I lose more hair when I wait that long. So, weekly it is.

And this fall/winter, I might experiment a little stretching my hair with blow-outs or flat ironing (one or the other at a wash session; not both). We’ll see. I’m not sure how often I would feel comfortable doing that … maybe once a month? I’ll play it by ear. But, I did it this weekend and was pleased with the results (post on that process coming soon)!

Every 4-8 Weeks:

• Two step henna/indigo (roots only full strength application/gloss on length).
• Clarify, with diluted Ion Curl Solutions Shampoo (though this may be replaced with Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship, which I tried for the first time this weekend. I liked it!).

And that’s that! Slowly working my way towards hip length and hoping this regimen will help get me there!

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What tweaks (if any) are you making to your regimen and styles for fall/winter?