After I posted a few pictures on Facebook of my surprise anniversary photo shoot, my friends started bugging me for hair care tips. “What do you use?” “How long does it take you to do it?”
I’m guessing a lot of women can relate to this, but growing up, I was very insecure about my hair. I always thought it was too thick, too unruly, too “not pretty.” So I slathered on chemicals for years and years and burned my scalp and ears to get my hair bone straight.
After I got pregnant, however, I decided not to get relaxers since I didn’t want anything to possibly hurt the baby….so I figured, why not just go natural?
For those who don’t know, black women going natural means that we accept our hair as it grows out of our scalp and we do not apply chemicals to straighten it. There are varying definitions of course, but for me, “natural” means that I do not relax my hair and I avoid heat for the most part.
To be asked for hair care tips is a big step for me, so in a nutshell, here’s my hair care “regime,” if you’d like to call it that.
EVERY SUNDAY is a shampoo day. I put on conditioner first, in order to protect my hair and avoid losing so much moisture. I usually saturate my hair with either Herbal Essences Hello Hydration or regular ol’ olive oil (or a mixture of both). I put on a plastic cap and go about my business for an hour or so.
Then I hop in the shower and use either my Neutrogena T/Sal shampoo or my CARA B Naturally shampoo: T/Sal when my scalp is feeling a bit dry or itchy, CARA B when my hair is a little dry. The CARA B shampoo is formulated for babies and children but I love using it for myself because it’s gentle and all-natural. (Disclosure: I handle social media relations for CARA B Naturally; however, I was not paid to provide an endorsement.)
AFTER SHAMPOOING I run a bit of olive oil through my hair while it’s still wet. I try not to use towels on my hair too much because the friction causes more frizz, I think. I then put a couple dollops of Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Hold Smoothie throughout my hair, focusing a bit more on the ends.
TO STYLE I usually go with two-strand twists because they’re easy to do and I can usually do my whole head in the time it takes me to watch an episode of Modern Family. If I’m feeling funky, I’ll put them in bantu knots (above picture). I don’t wear the knots as a hairstyle, but when you take them down, your hair is curly and you didn’t have to sleep in rollers to do it! Get a bantu knot tutorial here—it’s the video I used to learn how to do them!
FOR UPKEEP, I retwist my hair at night, covering it with a satin scarf. I only do about eight big twists and my hair comes out curly in the morning.
EVERY DAY, I spritz my hair with CARA B Naturally’s hair mist to refresh my hair, fluffing it with my fingers as necessary. I also use the spray on my kids and I’d use it on my husband too if he didn’t just outright refuse to use a baby product on his hair. LOL
And there you have it! Share your favorite products with me in the comments!
Although I didn’t forgo relaxers while I was pregnant, I had been toying with the idea of going natural for about two years. Over the past year, I really fell in love with my (5 year old) daughter’s hair and wanted hair like hers. I constantly tell her how gorgeous her hair is & she gets told that even more often by her peers/teachers at school (we live in an all white area), so in terms of her hair, she’s pretty confident right now. The issue became when I would wear weaves or whatever and she’d say she wanted hair like mine, while I’d be telling her I wanted hair like hers lol! So a couple months ago, I grabbed my clippers and BC’d. Figured I might as well lead by example.
As for products….I don’t really use much on my daughters’ hair or mine. I like Giovanni Green tea shampoo and conditioner (You can get huge bottles at Target for $12.99) and I like Cantu Shea butter leave in conditioner and moisturizer, and of course Eco Styling Gel…
@NotableE – If I hear one more thing about this EcoStyler Gel!! Geez…LOL
LOL, LOL, LOL!!! I know, I know!! I’m not even really sure if it works, but I put a dime sized amount on my hair after I moisturize it. I don’t use it on my girls’ hair though. It’s good for edge control, it’s cheap and lasts a while so….you can’t go too wrong by purchasing it lol
Yay! I’m so glad to read about your regime! I was drooling over your curls in the photos! I use most of the same products you do. I love being natural. And yes, Eco Styler Gel is the bomb! LOL
Awesome post. I’ve been transitioning since Oct and just BC’d last month, however this isn’t my 1st time at this rodeo it’s my 4th BC! I plan on staying natural this time around, so I thank you so much for this post and your product reccs, your hair is gorgeous!
You’re hair looks beautiful, Tara!
Thanks for sharing. I really loved your hair in your anniversary pictures. I am also a fan of shea moisture but I also make my own hair ju ju from time to time as well. based in shea butter and I add in almond, coconut or jojoba oil.
I like your hair care regime and hair style. I don’t know if I can be able to do that hair style. I don’t have talent making that hairstyle yet I love to have that hair style of yours.
I love TRESemme products and ThermaSilk if I’m going to be applying heat to my hair. If my scalp or hair is dry I’ll do a Mayo wrap before I shampoo.
My hair use to be long, thick & jet black before I applied my first perm. 13 years later various things has taken its toll on my hair. And now it’s short, brittle and I’m unhappy with it. Although I do want to get my hair back like it was before the perms, I don’t want to dive straight for the clippers either. I was wondering besides cutting out the perm is there another route to doing this. Can I just not get perms anymore and try and grow my new growth out to a certain length then cut off the remaining permed hair at the ends??!
@MarJauhne – I chopped my hair off after I had about four inches of new growth. It took about nine months to get it to that length and I was happy with my short fro. If you don’t want to chop it off, I suggest you look at the TransitioningMovement.com website to see hairstyles you can use to blend the two textures. I will warn you that once you get about half perm-half natural, it gets harder and harder to deal with the limp, permed ends. So you may end up cutting your hair sooner than you think, which is fine!
Check out this post: http://www.transitioningmovement.com/default.aspx?CN=E94A903FA2F6
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