What's Your Regimen?

I am newly natural-- though not new to following regimens to encourage hair growth and retention. But, I'm curious...

What is your regimen?

And, by regimen I don't just mean a run down of the list of products you use on your hair. I'm interested (and I'm sure there are others interested as well!) in learning whether you prepoo, shampoo, condition, deep condition on a weekly basis (and with what?) Or only prepoo, shampoo, condition, deep condition once a week and co-wash a few days in the week...

And why do you think (or hope) your regimen is successful?

Break it down for me!

Thanks!! :-)

(I can be found at hairgrease.wordpress.com)

Wash routine, every 2 weeks:
1. pre-poo coconut oil
2.cleanse with ayurvedic herbs
3.deep condition w/ Aussie Deep moisture
4.leave in Big Sexy curls conditioner and/or lacio lacio high shine moisturizing leave-in
Optional steps:
5.oil with coconut
6.seal with non-petro jelly

On dry hair:
Detangle,oil (scalp), moisturize, oil, jelly seal, & braid up whenever I feel like I need to through out the week until the next time I wash (once every 2 weeks).

The majority of my products strengthen & moisturize my hair, that's why i feel it's successful---my hair feels strong yet soft. Very manageable.

Note: I do not comb or brush my hair at all (I haven't done so in almost 8 months). Once I get to the leave-in condish, I thoroughly go through my hair with my hands/fingers and remove all sheds and tangles.

I do not co-wash because my scalp can not handle it (itchy, itchy,
itchy). Ayurvedic herbs allow me to clean my hair and scalp without
stripping them and I get no itchiness. I also henna/indigo every 6 weeks
for color.

I use NO electrical heat what-so-ever on my hair (including
hooded dryers). I use a hot towel or my heat therapy wrap for deep
conditioning.

My regimen allows me to go a full week without having to apply any
additional products or restyle. I simply twist my hair into 4 twists at
night and wrap my head with a satin scarf. If I get a little frizzy mid week, I just splash with water and smooth. I have seen a stark reduction
in fairy knots since I ditched the comb.


Once a week (or 3x's a month)
1.) Pre-poo with EVCO, EVOO, or Vatika oil (usually done overnight or while I'm working out).
2.) Cleanse with ayurvedic powders (specifically amla, brahmi, and maka)
**I may or may not use a cheapo condish @ this point to help remove any remaining herbs in my hair**
3.) Deep condition (usually Jessicurl WDT or AOHSR)
4.) Leave-in (Usually KCKT, thoroughly finger detangle @ this point)
**If I opt to use a styler it will be KCCC and I would apply it @ this point**
5.) Style (smooth my curls and leave them as they are for a wash-n-go, or twist for a twist out)
6.) Seal (unrefined shea butter, applied when hair is about 75% dry)

Once a month
1.) Pre-poo with EVCO, EVOO, or Vatika oil
2.) Low-poo with Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo
3.) Deep condish
4.) Leave-in
5.) Style (smooth my curls and leave them as they are for a wash-n-go, or
twist for a twist out)
6.) Seal

Thanks for posting your regimen!

Maybe I should try the no comb method... hmm...

what is a pre poo and how do you do it?

Hi, I'm sort of new but I plan to visit more and will add a pick soon.

My routine is:

Once a week I do a light shampoo, I tried to co-poo but my hair didn't like that so I just shampoo once and then I deep condition with tresemme naturals and olive oil added for about an hour with a cap on or 15 minutes under the dryer with a cap on if I don't have time to wait. I only comb thru it once I've rinsed out the conditioner.

Once I do that I do the curly primer method by putting it in 6 sections and I take my sweet time and primer each section then seal it with a combination of olive and castor oil. It takes all day to dry but it is well worth it.

Every single night I will wrap it up in a silk scarf. No comb touches my hair thru the week. I get up in the morning and shake it out. I bend over and wet my hands and I put water on the back and then across the top and front. I put conditioner on my hands and I repeat this until I feel all my curls are awake. I put my plastic cap on and do my makeup and finish getting dressed.

Right before I leave the house I pull off the plastic cap and I shake it once more and just say okay we are going to be fierce today and I enjoy my day. My hair is growing like fire doing this. My husband has noticed how fast it is growing and how shiny and healthy it is looking now. Keep that comb out of your hair, your hair will thank you for it by becoming long and pretty.

I've taken from so many books I've read that it would be amiss to put this stuff here without telling you all where I got this stuff from:

Good Hair Lonnice Brittenum Bronner
Grow It! Chicoro
Curly Girl, Lorraine Massey
And every book Pam Ferrell has ever written


Not sure about all the spelling there, but I've gotten all of what I do now from those ladies in particular. I don't think I follow any one of them to the letter. I had to find what was right for me from a combination of all of them. That said,

I had to keep it simple for school so I usually just detangle once a week on dry hair with my fingers. I section it into twists or braids. I co-wash every other week and on alternate weeks I use a very mild shampoo or another co-wash with some lemon squeezed so my scalp stays happy. My favorite co-wash conditioner is Trader Joe's all versions. I squeeze excess water out with my hands and then blot (not rub) dry with a hand towel. I apply leave-in conditioner. Then I undo the sections one by one, detangling and adding more leave-in conditioner and re-twisting or braiding until finished the entire head. If my hair feels like it needs more, I can add some heavier stuff to the ends. When I'm done, I take it all out, run my fingers through it and smooth it all into a low puff pony with my hands. I twist the puff to the ends tucking them underneath and put it under a scarf to let it dry. When it's dry, I style it however way I want to between twists, twist-outs/braid-outs, or a puff. Sometimes I just keep it pulled back. At nights, I mist, add some leave-in, and at times a sealer if my hair needs it. If it is in a braid or twist-out, I put it in a pony and cover it with a scarf. If it's already in a pulled back style, I just cover it with a scarf. In the morning, I uncover and fluff it out. Usually I don't need to add any product in the morning. If I do, I just add it, put it back under the scarf for a moment while it dries and then take it back off. If I ever need some quick curls, I like Miracurl Curling Jelly. I also like that for twisting from time to time. Smells good! And it makes my hair really glossy. Oh yeah, once a month I henna (sort of) by spiking my conditioner with it and some lemon juice. I have a few grays that are trying to announce a take-over a little earlier than I'd like, lol!

Once a week I prepoo my hair with a Prepoo oil from Shescenit
Shampoo with Amla Creme Rinse from HairVeda
Condition with various conditioners from V05, Suave, and detangle with a seamless comb or Denman brush
Then DC ORS Replenishing Conditioner for 1 hr
Apply CocoCreme leave-in conditioner from Shescenit, seal with organic coconut oil or Vatika frosting from HairVeda and air dry or apply styling products.

Hi there,

On my type 4a-4b-4c hair, once or twice per week, I co-wash with any cheapie conditioner. I rinse with an apple cider vinegar solution (1 part ACV to 3 parts water) twice a month. I DC twice per month as well.

My hair drinks moisture like crazy, so every day I use a home-made spritz on my scalp for moisture and growth (I make it weekly). After applying, I seal my hair with a little coconut/castor oil. I also tend to keep my hair in bantu knots as a protective style, and I am transitioning with an afro style lace front [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] .

My mix contains:
Water
Flowers of Sulphur Powder
MSM Powder
Coconut oil
Castor oil
Mane and Tail Conditioner

I make enough for 8 oz or so. I would say 5 oz of water mixed with the powders first; 1tbsp. of each - sulphur and msm. Then I add 1oz each of the remaining ingredients and shake before each use! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Natural 3c/ 4a/4b
Products:
- Giovanni Smooth as Silk Shampoo(sulfate free)
- Giovanni Smooth as Silk Conditioner
-Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner
- Kimmaytube leave-in (sometimes I swap kckt(ph 7) for Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner (ph 6) *keep in mind that ph is logarithmic
-Spray bottle with a aloe vera and water mix
-wide tooth comb
- ouchless hair bands
- ouchless hair elastics
- bobby pins
-silk bonnet/ silk scarf
-mutivitamin
- trimming scissors
Weekly: I shampoo and condition once a week.
1. I apply Aubrey organics hsr to dry hair the night before and split into 10 twists. about 5 on each side. I sleep with a plastic cap.
2. I untwist a twist and work ot the shed hairs under the shower.
3. Then I apply shampoo to the section, rinse out and immediately apply condItioner and detangle with a wide tooth comb. Then I retwist the hair with conditioner and move on to the next section.
4. Once I've shampooed and conditioned each twist I run water over the twists to rinse out the conditioner.
5. I pat my hair dry with a t-shirt. Then I untwist a twist, seperate in two, apply kimmaytube leave in mix, and braid.
6. I repeat with each twist. If I ever run into any knots I take time to detangle them and snip any that don't detangle.I get two braids from each twist. *I braid to stretch my hair out.
7. I let my hair dry overnight in braids then I style my hair.

Daily:
1. I keep my hair in protective styles such as buns and tucked twists. I usually leave in the same style all week.
2. I spritz my hair with aloe vera/water mix and apply leave-in
3. I cover my my hair with a satin bonnet or a scarf when I'm home. At night I split my hair into to ponytails and cover with a bonnet.
4. To smooth my edges I use kinky curly curling custard or shea butter. I smooth with my hands and apply a scarf to lay it down.
5. Take a multivitamin, drink plenty of water, eat fruits, veggies and lean proteins.

Monthly or Annually:
- About every two months I deep condition after instead of before washing my hair. I use Giovanni smooth as silk mixed with an egg. Then I steam treat with plastic cap and heated towels.
- I flat iron my hair once or twice a year with a sedu revolution and chi silk infusion and redken heat glide. This is the only time I use a brush.

Things I try to avoid:
- hair tools with metals
- Bobby pins without tips
- sulfate shampoos
- rubber bands
- too much manipulation. I used to have serious hand in hair disease!
- complete trims. I prefer search and destroy trimming.
- I used to cowash with silicone- free conditioners but I stopped because it didn't clean to my satisfaction and the buildup caused a decrease in moisture.
-wash and goes. They cause more harm than good for me.

Spring/summer: I add glycerin to my spritz.
Fall/winter: I apply shea butter to my ends. I only flat iron in these seasons.

I really like this regimen because I get my hair clean without having a stripped feeling. I also get to try different styles with my stretched hair and it's pretty simple. I don't use too many products and most of my styling tools help me achieve protective styles. Giovanni products contain vegetable proteins so I don't have to worry about adding frequent protein treatments. My hair stays moisturized with the water, aloe vera and leave in and my products are at a suitable pH.