Hey Gems,
If you are new to my blog, I am doing a series where I share all things related to my 4C kinky hair. Every Wednesday I will drop a new post related to my 4C crown, leave a comment below I want this to be interactive!
In my last post, I mentioned how I finally found my hair care regime right? Well, today I’m going to reveal my secrets and what my wash day routine details. Shh, don’t tell anyone instead lure them to this post! Ha!
First off, go ahead and dedicate say…your whole day to washing your hair lady. Okay, I exaggerated a bit but oh you thought you only needed to follow the instructions on the bottle and be done in 45 minutes? That’s totally not true, I mean who really uses a dime sized amount of conditioner? I usually try and dedicate at least 5-8 hours from start to end. There are 5 steps to my madness. Shoutout to NappyFu for helping me figure out what works for me. Thanks girl!
Step One: Pre Poo
This process involves applying an oil of choices such as almond, black castor, olive and coconut oil to your entire hair. You want to start from the roots and work your way to the ends of your hair. This step helps prepare your hair for your wash day, we all know shampoo strips your hair of oils. Think of this as your front line of defense with a touch of moisture.
Step Two: Cleanser (shampoo, mud mask, co-wash)
CLEANSE THAT SCALP BABYYY! You know you did a successful cleansing when you do the scratch test. Scratch N’ Sniff Test: Scratch your scalp after shampooing and if you see some gunk under your nail bed turn back around and keep cleansing. Sniff your nail if you don’t see anything and if you smell something other than your shampoo, baby you need to keep cleansing, your crown isn’t clean yet. I also like the mud mask, oh my gosh ladies and gents this is like my holy grail I wanna be snatched for the gawdsss cleanser.
Mud Mask Recipe
– Bentonite Clay Powder
– Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother
– Plastic spoon
– Plastic Bowl
1. Pour a small amount of the clay powder into the bowl.
2. Slowly pour apple cider vinegar.
3. The clay and the vinegar will react and bubble so go slow.
4. Stir the mixture until it becomes a paste.
5. Apply the mixture to your hair from roots to ends.
6. If there is leftover paste it can be applied to your face as a mask.
Step Three: Condition
Now, this is an important step. For me, I have to use a moisturizing conditioner because again I wear wigs so my scalp and hair is as dry as the Sahara desert. There are so many different types of conditioners, so depending on what your hair is serving you will determine what type of conditioner to use. In my June Favorites video, I talked about my favorite shampoo and conditioner.
Step Four: Deep Condition
I usually use the deep treatment masque by Cantu Shea Butter and this product has my hair feeling like butter. My curls are popping and the shine in my curls is amazing. I love this step because I apply my masque then my conditioning cap and carry about my business. The directions say to leave this on for 30 minutes but I typically leave this on for 45min – 1 hour depending on how crunched on time I am. In my opinion, the longer the better but I could be wrong, this is just what works for me.
Step Five: LCO/LOC Method
This step is probably the most debatable subject int he natural hair world. I have seen so many posts and discussion threads on which method is the right way and which way isn’t. Honestly, they both work so lets put the pitch forks down and embrace them both.
L.iquid (water, leave in conditioner)
O.il (almond, castor, olive)
C.ream (hair milk, curl activators)
L.iquid (water, leave in conditioner)
C.ream(hair milk, curl activators)
O.il (almond, castor, olive)
It honestly doesn’t matter which way you put it, yes your hair will look different depending on which method you use but hey, your hair is getting the food that it needs. The two methods work for me, depending on how my hair feels. If my ends are super dry then I use the LCO method.
Step Six: Styling
Since I wear wigs majority of the time I plait roughly 8 braids going straight back to my nape. If my wig is a middle part then I section my hair into half from ear to ear and the top portion I create a middle part and braid my hair from the middle to my ear. I also style my hair into a twist out, flat twist, braid out etc. depending on what look I’m going for that weekend. Since I cherish my sleeping hours and I really don’t want to deal with a twist out not coming out right I usually do those types of styles on the weekend and wear my wigs to work during the week.
Well that’s it! I hope you gems liked my hair regime because I know my crown loves it! You have to find out what products work for you and that helps my wash day to be smoother.
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