I Whip My Hair Back and Forth

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on my last post. I’ve enjoyed finding new blogs to add to my reading list.

This post was inspired by a reader question about how I maintain my hair. I told you I didn’t forget Beauty! I did a general post about my hair here but I didn’t really discuss my regimen. I’ve been wearing my hair this way for about twelve years. I try to keep my routine as simple as possible. Well it’s simple to me. You’ll let me know what you think.

Step 1 – Wash

I wash my hair once a week. One week I do it myself. The following week I go to a professional who styles it after my wash. I’ve been going to the same hairdresser for a decade, and I take my own products with me to my appointment. I use a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner from Nature’s Gate that I buy from Whole Foods.  You can also find them here and here. They retail for $5- $7 each. 

Step 2- Moisturize

After I use the shampoo and conditioner I towel dry my hair. It’s still damp when I apply about a third of a  cup of one of the oils pictured above to my scalp and down the shaft of the hair and onto the ends. My hair is thick and tends to be on the dry side so I’ve found over the years that natural oils work best at keeping it moisturized without weighing it down. I do this right after I condition because I feel the hair absorbs the oil better that way. I will also add a small amount of one of the oils during the week on my dry hair if I think it looks a little lackluster.  I get my castor oil from Whole Foods, the almond oil from Coastal Scents and the coconut oil from Amazon. I generally always have coconut and castor oil on hand. I also use jojoba and grape seed oil occasionally. They retail for about $6- $20 depending on the size and whether or not it’s organic. 

Step 3: Twist

I use Alba Botanical gel to re-twist the roots of my hair which unravel after my hair is washed. I get it from Whole Foods, but you can also find it here where it retails for $6.14. 

Step 4: Essential Oils

After twisting the roots I lightly mist the hair  from root to tip with a solution of one part water and about 3-4 drops of a pleasant smelling essential oil. I have peppermint and sweet orange in the pics above.  

Step 5: Dry

If I’m at the hairdresser at this point I would go under a hooded dryer for about an hour.  At home I loosely  pull my hair back in one, attach a towel with some hair bands and relax while the excess water drains out of the pony tail. 

Step 6: Braid

After about 45 minutes to an hour I remove the towel and put the loose hair into a big slack braid.

I fasten the end with a hair tie and let the hair air dry in the sun as I go about the rest of my day. 

And there you have it. I tried not to over think this post, so if I left anything out that you’d still like to know feel free to ask me in the comments.  After the break I have a pic I found of me before my locs, and a comparison shot I did a couple months ago. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great Memorial Day and see you next week ! 

This was the length of my hair before I started locing. I started with comb twists.

April 2013. Pics from this post.

The picture on the left is October 2012. The picture on the right is February 2014.

Stardate :14025.05