Typical Wash Day

Q: What products are needed?

 

Shampoo, Conditioner, Leave-In, Oil, Curl Definer and Denman Detangling Brush

 

Q: Why are these products needed?

A: Shampoo is to remove built up residue. The conditioner is to moisturize. The brush is to detangle. The spray is a leave-in conditioner for all day moisture. The oil is to lock in the moisture and the curl definer is to give the hairstyle a lot of definition.

Q: What’s next?

Before washing, part hair into 4 sections for easier product reach and detangling

Q: Do the 4 sections really make it easier?

A: Depending on your porosity, you may use fewer sections or more. I prefer 6 sections. 4 is used when I can’t find ponytail holders.

Q: The porosity?

A: Yes, how much water and moisture my hair can hold. With four sections it may feel like my hair is all soaked but once I go to finger comb it, I’ll realize that there are still areas of my hair that are completely dry and untouched by water or product.

Q: Do you apply the product on in sections, as well?

A: It’s best to go section by section. putting the hair back up as you’ve finished a section until you’re ready to style it.

Q: Do you apply the product in a sequence per section or do you go all shampoo first, all conditioner, etc…?

A: All shampoo, All conditioner… lol, if I tried to finish a section before starting a section then it would end up just being a waste of time.

Q: How much product do you use?

Shampoo per section

Conditioner per section

Q: Per section? Is that not a lot?

A: No, like I said earlier, my hair takes a while to absorb any product and if I use any other amount, I’ll discover that I missed a spot or two.

You can ask any curly hair person. We buy 3 conditioners for every 1 shampoo.

Q: What is the order in which you apply product?

A: Shampoo, conditioner, and then the LOC Method. Leave-in, Oil, and Curl Definer or Cream.

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Q: When do you detangle?

A: I detangle while there is conditioner in and then later again after I put oil in my hair.

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Q: What type of brush is that?

A: World’s best brush. I’m kidding, sort of, it’s a Denman brush and they specialize in products for curly hair. As a curly hair person, we’re supposed to brush from bottom to top but the Denman allows me to do both easily. I discovered it when I transitioned. I could comb straight through my curly hair, my wavy hair and my straight hair because I had 3 different textures at the time.

Q: After you detangle, what’s next?

A: Freedom! Just kidding. Once all sections have product, I usually do a flat twist and put a wig on. I don’t do it right away though, My hair takes 3-4 hours to dry because I don’t use heat from a diffuser and just let it air dry.

Q: 4 hours? So how long does the whole process take?

A: It’s called “Wash Day” for a reason. It can go all day honestly. I choose the quickest style I know and it still takes about 7 hours of my day total.

Summer Travels

As summer approaches, many people have planned beach getaways and are picking out travel destinations.

These trips usually bring about fun and change, which can be harsh on your hair.  

Over the summer when changing from a cold state to a hot state or vice versa, the hair will be affected immediately. In order to maintain healthy hair that doesn’t begin to weaken and break, preparations should be taken such as using protective styles if you don’t think you’ll have time to focus on your hair.

Protective styles are hairstyles that keep your natural hair protected when living an ‘’on-the-go” lifestyle. There are styles that either hide your real hair: such as wigs, weave, braids, faux locs or crochets which are worn after braiding up your real hair to your scalp as cornrows.

Other protective styles include using jumbo twist in your real hair and just letting the hair be tied up in a pineapple or down just to keep the hair stretched for when you decide to style. Bantu knots and cornrows both work as a protective style as well.
Any style that has the hair split into sections will be useful while traveling since it allows for quick easy access of washing and styling the sections by section and re-doing the style as you finish each section. This prevents hair from matting together due to the new weather or beach hopping.

Wishing you safe travels and a happy summer!

-Natural Curl Queen ♥

Maintenance and Upkeep

An important aspect of hair care after hair has reached a point of healthiness is the hair will just need maintenance and upkeep to remain healthy.

 

Forms of maintenance involve, utilizing silk or satin scarfs when going to bed and using the material to make pillows which will keep hair from being pulled while you sleep from the tough material used on beds.

 

Another tip for ensuring the longevity of healthy hair is always keep the ends moisturized. Any form of moisturizer will work but natural oils can prevent the hair from forming split ends. Massaging hair with oil daily can provide speedy new growth and protect the scalp from drying out.
These are the basic tips that are universal not just for curly hair but even straight hair as well.

-Natural Curl Queen♥

Interview With A Natural

Recently I sat down with Andrés Anderson, a musician and artist who has been natural for 22 years to talk about hair care and his regime.

Q: You told me that your natural hair care products reversed your damaged hair. How was it damaged and why?

“It became dry and brittle from the shampoos I used: Axe and Old Spice.”

Q: So you had to learn your hair and what works for it?

“Yes.”

Q: What products do you use?

“Dr.Bronner’s 18 in 1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap, Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Creme Brulee, Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner, African Pride Shea Butter Bouncy Curls Pudding, and Coconut Oil.”

Q: Have these products been reliable?

“Yes. My hair is much healthier now.”

Q: Do you know what the L-O-C  Method is?

“Yes. That’s what i use to determine the products i use.”

Q: How do you do that?

“For L, I use the Aussie hair insurance and for O, I use coconut oil. My C varies between the Shea Butter pudding and when my hair is really dry I’ll use the Creme Brulee.”

Andrés uses a leave-in conditioner as his L. He uses coconut oil which is best known for penetrating the scalp with long lasting moisture that aids in hair growth as his O. He then learned which creams to use by the level of moisture his hair needed. Something to be noted is he swapped out his sulfate shampoos for Pure-Castile Soap that is free of foaming agents which is sulfates main purpose and has been known to dry out hair.

Any questions? Comments? Leave me a reply and I’ll be sure to answer in a future post.

-Natural Curl Queen ♥

 

 

L-O-C Method

The L-O-C method is the preferred way to take care of natural hair. The L stands for liquid or a leave-in conditioner with a liquid base. The O stands for Oil which provides nourishment to the hair. The C stands for cream, it’s usually something used to lock in moisture or to style and define your curl pattern.

Hair Type

The LOC Method can also go L-C-O but it all depends on your hair type.

Previously I told you about elasticity, porosity, and density. In regards to the LOC Method, hair with little elasticity works best with lightweight hair products since heavy products would pull on the hair and give it a stringy look. Hair with a lot of elasticity works best with heavier products since light weight products are likely to just sit on the hair and not absorb into the scalp and cuticles.

Porosity

Porosity will help decide rather your care regimen will be L-C-O- or L-0-C. Hair with high porosity absorbs moisture quickly and loses it just as fast, so most High porosity hair needs the oil applied last since it’s heavier and can lock in moisture on the strands for a few days.

Hair with low porosity absorbs moisture slowly but retains it for longer periods of time, and that’s why cream can be applied as a sealant for the oil in the hair.

Density

Density helps to determine how much of a product you will need to use. If you have high density, throw out all instructions that mention “dime-sized amounts” and just pump the product onto your hand until you no longer see your palm.

Ha! I’m joking. Not really. If you have Low Porosity hair, then you probably could get away with using just a few dime sized amounts without under or over moisturizing your hair.

If this helped you or if you have further questions be sure to let me know in the comment section. Next post I’ll include an interview with someone who discovered their preferred Loc Method and the products they use to achieve healthy hair.

-Natural Curl Queen ♥

Discover Your Hair Type

Determine your hair type by learning your hair elasticity, porosity, and density.

Elasticity is how much your hair can stretch and return to its natural state. Unhealthy hair might stretch, but not return to its natural state. Hair with little elasticity is known as hair types 1A-2C which is straight to wavy hair and hair with more elasticity is known as hair types 3A-4C which is very wavy to coily hair. Click here for image examples found on the Curls product website.
Porosity is your hair’s ability to absorb moisture. Low porosity hair usually takes longer to accept moisture and water. An example would be long waits for your hair to dry or even long times for your hair to get fully wet while you’re washing it. High porosity hair absorbs too much moisture and may lose it just as fast as it accepts it which is a sign of damaged hair. Normal porosity is between both.

If you’re still not sure, the porosity self-test is to take a strand of hair and drop it into a glass of water. If it floats at the surface, then your hair has low porosity. If it sinks, then your hair has high porosity. If it floats in the middle, then your hair is normal.

Density is the amount of hair strands on your hair and the most obvious way to figure this out is to count them! Haha I’m joking. That would be tedious so instead just let your hair hang down and if you see your scalp then you have low density and if you can’t see your scalp at all then you have high density.

 

If you have any questions about hair or elasticity, porosity, and density be sure to leave a comment so I can read them and answer them in future post!

 

-Natural Curl Queen ♥

Every Hair Type is Different

The first step towards having beautiful and healthy hair is understanding that no two hair types are alike. When many blogs are written, they are a mirror of the writer’s self-journey and how they transitioned after a big chop. One thing I would like to reinforce is that your hair is one-of-a-kind and that there isn’t a universal way to grow and care for natural hair.

“Everybody’s hair is different. Just like your fingerprints.” said Shayna Lorelike from “Our Hair-itage: A Natural Hair Documentary”

I understand that many transitioning women search for hours and watch hours of videos trying to figure out how to style their hair and grow it like popular natural hair vloggers but to achieve any of that- healthy hair is a must.

“All healthy hair has in common certain properties and characteristics. To understand these properly, we need to investigate black hair architecture: elasticity and porosity. We need to know how they each relate to healthy hair care.” said Audrey Davis. The author of The Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care. 

My goal is to focus on helping you figure out how to care for your hair. The next post will be about discovering the elasticity, porosity and density of your own hair. This knowledge will encourage you to buy products best for cherishing YOUR hair type.

-Natural Curl Queen ♥