After reading through ‘The Science of Black Hair’, i’ve decided to tweak my hair care regime for (hopefully) a better maintenance system. The author of the book suggests learning to carefully balance moisture and protein for the best hair results and suggests to not only have a protein conditioner/treatment but to also have some kind of protein rich leave-in or moisturiser. I’ll discuss in a future post about the importance of balancing moisture and protein, but for now i’ll outline what i’ve done and will be doing to kick start (or kick-continue?) my healthy hair care regime. I will be pre-pooing before every shampoo with coconut oil (overnight, preferably), finger detangling BEFORE washing, using heat to deep condition (whenever possible) and wet testing on a regular basis to learn how my hair is fairing.

So firstly i needed to give my hair a fresh start, a clean slate or blank canvas to work with. And because i live in such a hard water area i know that simply clarifying my hair is not going to be enough. I’ve always known about chelating shampoos but haven’t paid much attention to them. After reading Kelly’s post on the matter, found here, and after re-reading about using chelating shampoos in THE book, i finally bought the Pureology Purify Shampoo from the list provided by Kelly. Here’s what i did yesterday.

My Clean Slate Routine

Pre-Poo

I started by spraying my hair liberally with my Light Conditioning & Detangling Spray (available soon) and sectioning my hair into four (as always). Starting with one section, and clipping up the other three, i re-misted it with more detangler and smoothed it into my hair. It soaks in very well and makes finger detangling a breeze. I LOVE THIS STUFF! Anyway…Once fully hydrated, i ran my hands through my hair, gently separating my strands and removing any knots and tangles. I then saturated the section with coconut oil, twisting to finish. I repeated this for all the sections and covered my hair in a plastic cap (bag, lol). I sat under my hooded dryer for 20 mins and let my hair cool slightly before proceeding to wash.

Detangle

Once i got into the shower i rinsed my hair with water and going one section at a time, i un-twisted and rinsed the section for a few minutes, agitating my hair and scalp with my fingers. I then applied my Crambe Moisturising Conditioner (available soon) to the section and detangled using the Tangle Teezer. I never detangle the whole section at once. After applying conditioner to the whole section, i separate it into smaller sections (clipping up the rest) and apply a bit more conditioner to that. Then i carefully detangle from tip to root, sub-dividing the smaller section further if necessary. Once i finish detangling the smaller section i clip it out of the way and take another smaller section from the main until i’ve detangled that whole section. I then twisted the whole section and clipped it out of the way. Finger detangling before hand removed a lot of the tangles and knots and made detangling at this stage much easier, which translated into less breakage. I repeated for all the other sections. I tried wet testing at this stage but i still have to get to grips with it. With time i’ll be a pro at it.

Chelate

Taking down one of the sections, i untwisted and fully rinsed the conditioner out. I then squeezed some of the Pureology Purifying Shampoo into my palms and distributed it through my hair. What a lather. Holding my hair taught with one hand, i used the pads of my fingers to gently scrub my scalp. The instructions on the bottle says to leave the shampoo on for 2 minutes before rinsing so i clipped up the foamy section without rinsing and moved on to the next, repeating for all sections. Once i had lathered all sections i went back to the first section, unclipped and rinsed out the shampoo. What a strange feeling! My hair felt really… strange. Totally stripped of all oils but yet not crispy, crunchy. Just an odd sensation. Not sure whether that is down to the brand of shampoo or to the pre-poo.  Once fully rinsed i re-twisted the section, repeating for all sections.

Strengthen

I dried my hair gently before applying my protein treatment. I have a formula ready for making my protein treatment which includes Hibiscus, Coconut Milk and Hydrolysed Wheat Protein but i didn’t have some of the ingredients on hand so i mixed in some Hibiscus extract and Hydrolysed Protein into some leftover conditioner i had lying around. I undone a section, applied the mix from tip to root and re-twisted, repeating for all sections. I covered my hair in a plastic cap/bag and sat under my hooded dryer for 15 minutes, letting my hair cool before rinsing it out. I made sure to undo the twists and rinse the sections to fully remove the protein conditioner, re-twisting when done.

Deep Condition

Drying my hair gently, i proceeded to deep condition. I applied my Sapote Intense Conditioning Mask (available soon) to each section, really making sure to coat my ends well, covered and again sat under the dryer for 30 – 45 minutes this time, allowing my hair to cool before my final rinse.

Cuticle Rinse

This time i kept my four twists intact and thoroughly rinsed my hair with cool running water to help my cuticles lie flat and keep the moisture in. I then followed with a very diluted ACV rinse, about 2 tablespoons to 500ml of cool water. I only want the acidic benefits of the ACV to further close my cuticles, not the clarifying properties so i used a small amount. I use larger amounts of ACV if i wish to benefit from its cleansing effects. I poured the rinse over my hair and scalp and then stepped out of the shower. I didn’t rinse it out.

Protein Spritz, Leave-In & Seal

I made a protein rich spritz for my hair which includes hibiscus extract, hydrolysed wheat protein, rosewater, glycerine and aloe vera juice. Going a section at a time, i undone the twisted section, parted it into two and blotted my hair dry with an old cotton t-shirt. My hair felt really good. Nice and soft. I misted it lightly with the protein spritz which i could feel strengthening my strands further, as my hair started to harden slightly. I then applied my Creamy Leave-In Conditioner which really re-softened the strands beautifully. I finished by sealing in the moisture with my Shea Hair Butter and twisted the section. I repeated for the other half of the section and the further three remaining sections. By the time i was finished i had 8 large twists and air-dried overnight.

There you have it. This morning when i woke up, i felt my twists and i must say… i’m really pleased! My hair feels soooooooo good! Really soft and smooth. I will definitely chelate on a regular basis, maybe once every month or two months, to really remove any mineral deposits left on my hair by this yucky water i have to live with.

I’m going to concentrate on packing the moisture in this week by moisturising nightly with my aloe & rosewater spritz with added honeyquat and panthenol followed by the Creamy Leave-In Conditioner and sealed in with the Shea Hair Butter or the Shea Hair & Scalp Oil depending on how i feel. At the weekend i’ll cleanse and deep condition with heat. I’ll be cuticle rinsing on a regular basis as well for added smoothness.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the products mentioned here before they go on sale on the website (which will be at SOME point, lol) you can always request them via the Custom-Made Service by filling out the form on the website or by emailing me at sales@dias-allnatural.co.uk. I bought the Pureology Purify Shampoo from Beauty Flash Shop online.

Until next time!