Natural Winter Hair Care; How can I improve?

My Winter Protective Regimen

Shampoo:
None

Conditioners (Used like Shampoo; leave in 10 mins and rinse):
Aussie Moist (added SAA and JBCO)
Redken Softer (added SAA and JBCO)
Ojon conditioner - any of them
Nature’s Organic Henna Conditioner

Deep Conditioner (Saturate; leave in a long time; comb in; wash a little out):
Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose
Aubrey GPB (Protein Balance Treatment)
Organix Shea Butter Conditioner (add aloe vera and cocnut oil)
L’Oreal’s deep nourishing conditioner

Henna:
Jamila Henna (fresh lemon juice and EO added) 3hour process, every other month

Additives (approx 3 tbsp added to different conditioners):
Silk Amino Acid (Protein)
Silk Peptide (Protein)
Jamaican Black Castor Oil
Unrefined Shea Oil
Pure Coconut Oil
Pure Aloe Vera

Leave ins:
Ojon revitalizing spray
Home made cream/pomade
Home made oil mixture

The Homemade oils and such:
Since I'm a bad product junkie I took my old oils and mix them together with my new natural oils to make a Great Oil for my hair after conditioning.

Old oils:
Lisa's Hair Elixir
Jojoba Oil
Tui Oil
EVOO

New oils:
Shea Oil
Black Jamaican Castor Oil
Avocado Oil

How to use:
I combined them all in a cheap spray bottle and I sprits it on my hair after deep conditioning 1x week. I wear a plastic heat bag on my heat and wrap it with a scarf, go to sleep. In the morning I have deep nourished hair for the winter, it's so hydrated and not greasy at all. I add my homemade creams (Shea butter, aloe Vera, avocado butter, mango butter, mix with Jamaican black castor oil and pomade) to my ends and edges as a pomade and if I wear a ponytail I add it wear the scrunchie will be tied. Spray on some Rosewater-Aloe Vera-Silk Amino Acid blend and go.

If any breakage occurred I use a deep protein regimen. Sometimes Henna and sometimes SAA with Wheat Protein, stops the breakage immediately and boosts growth. I learned this from the ladies on Curly Nikki’s website. I also seal it with coconut oil.

To Date: 9/9/09 through 12/09/09 - 4 inches of growth in 3 months!

(plus I'm drinking water and taking vitamins)

Work week Nutrition:
Breakfast at work is 16oz v8 Fusion Berry Blend with 2 scoops of Ultimate Greens Protein 8in1 w/ Hemp Protein. 1ml of Focus and Detox by Functionalab.
Snack: Cozy Chamonile Tea and Herbal Unwind African Honeybrush w mandarin orange flavor. Water.
Lunch: Subway Sub. Tuna or Turkey or honey oat, no mayo, no oils. Water, no chips.
Dinner: Roasted Chicken or BBQ Pork (Ribs). Orange or an Apple.
Vitamins: iFlora Probiotics for women, Nature Made Multi Complete, TriFlex Bone and Joint with MSM, Chondroitin, Glucosamine. Ambien CR to sleep (I have back pain and a 1 year old son to keep me in pain or occupied J)

Weekend Nutrition:
Breakfast is scrambled egg whites and a sweet potato pancake, Water or Lemonade.
Lunch: Pppffffttttt (washing clothes, cleaning, chasing my 1 year old, or at Target)
Dinner: El Pollo Loco Chicken or chicken I can bake at home.
I drink Water when I can get a moment to remember
I take my vitamins at night as usual

Guilty consumptions that I sneak in every once in a while:
Peanut Butter Captain Crunch with Whole Milk
Peanut Butter Crackers
A chocolate donut when it’s that time (Ladies!)
Sunflower seeds when it’s that time (Ladies)
Ginger Beer (reminds me of home – Trinidad) like Ginger Ale
Filet of Sole
Fried Shrimp
Egg Rolls
Chou Maine
Chicken Burrito Supreme
A shot of Tequila if there was too much stress (Maybe twice a year, I don’t drink)

Stress:
Pray I don’t beat they a$$
Sleep on it
Take a walk and drink some water

It sounds like you got it all worked out. Mine is super simple compared to yours.

So I was reading that in the winter you should not wash and go because it actually dries your hair out more but I'm in Florida and I haven't been ispired to do anything with twa other than a wash and go [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I don't think a lot of folks take different climates into consideration when making these suggestions. Naturals in places that are more humid have different hair care needs than those that live in drier locations.

Heart2Worship wrote:@tiashauntee-I think your hair is so pretty. I was feelin' your previous avatar. I am a transition babe (2 months) and I was wondering if you could give me some pointers on your winter regime? I noticed that you are located in Raleigh and being I am in Columbia, SC I would think the weather is about the same. My roots are sooo dry!

The roots are the good stuff, you don't want them dry. What are you currently using?

Shampoo-Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo (once weekly)
Dr. Booner's Almond Soap (liquid)
I really don't care for either

Co-wash: HS Hello Hydration (Don't really give me the slip and softness that I am looking for) I've also tried co-washing with AOHSR

Leave-in: Giovanni Direct (any suggestions on this, b/c it tends to make my hair feel hard)

Deep Treatment: AOHSR & Orgainic Roots Stimulator Olive Oil Conditioner and and EVOO (I like results)

I moisturize with unrefined shea butter and seal with coconut oil. The last time I did my rollerset, Saturday, I used a combo of HS Hello Hydration, distilled water, Narobi setting lotion, and coconut oil. The results were good, but the back of my head was SUPER dry by the end of the day. This is the case every time I style it.

Since Nov I have been shampooing once a month and I have noticed a huge difference. I am going to keep experimenting with this to see how it works until this crazy cold weather goes away.

If you condish is not doing what you want, after it's gone try something else. It's way too many options out there for any of us to settle and be dissatisfied. I like Aussie Moist and Suave Tropical coconut. The Aussie moist gives me awesome slip but Suave Tropical Coconut is more affordable so I co-wash with that one more.

Leave-in: Don't have one. I seal as soon as I rinse and lately I have been spraying on Aloe Gro, which is basically organic Aloe vera gel, distilled water, and essential oils.

You like the DT products so stick with them

I also read today on another website about Pre-poo and shampooing. This lady posted that she never shampoos her hair if she has not done a pre-poo treatment first. I am curious about this so I can going to try it the next time I shampoo.

I attempted to lookup the ingredients in Nairobi but I was unable to find anything. I know that I can not use setting lotion at all on my hair. I have tried and tried but my hair hates it and is always dry afterward. I did a roller set recently and I used products in the same family that you used I just omitted the setting lotion

You may want to style as you normally do but eliminate one product every time to determine which one (or ones) is causing the dryness.

Ok. Thanks! I am about to get some braids done next week, so I really won't have to revisit this issue for about a month or so. I visited your Fotki and enjoyed what I saw.

I am excited about my transition, seeing that this time I am acutally gonna follow through...I'm past the "people pleasing" phase of my life! Praise God! But I hope to talk with you more if you don't mind. I noticed that you didn't volunteer to be a big sis, but do you mind being mine?

The only reason I didn't volunteer is because a lot of girls are transitioning and I have no knowledge about how to care for the relaxed end. However we can learn together. I don't mind at all. Feel free to start a thread over there

I started one on yesterday, "I would love, love, love a Big Sister". I pretty much addressed the same thing that we just talked about. BTW, are you still using that Shea Moisturizer that you mentioned on you Fotki page?

Ok, I see it now. I need a nap, LOL.

Are you referring to the Shea/Conditioner/Olive mix?
I have not used it this year because of my coconut oil discovery. Now I am using Shea/Coconut Oil/and Olive Oil, so far I love it. I feel like it armor for my hair against the harsh winter wind.