Use this sample regimen tweaking where necessary to grown your natural hair to its full potential
A good hair regimen can make or break your hair. Literally! With all good regimens for dry hair, there are a number of key points to consider.
• How often to wash your hair
• How often to deep condition
• How often to have protein treatments
• How often to clarify your hair
• How to style it to retain the most length
• How often to trim your hair
• How often to have hot oil treatments
• How often to rotate your shampoos and conditioners
• How often to have chemical services (like coloring)
Outlined below is a regimen for natural black kinky* or curly hair:
1. Co-wash (condition wash) on a Tuesday and deep condition with a moisturizing conditioner* for 20 minutes with heat (cover with plastic cap under a hooded dryer*).
2. Detangle only when the hair is soaking with conditioner and rinse
3. Seal hair with natural oil, style when still damp and allow hair to air dry overnight.
4. Spray hair with water daily to hydrate and seal with natural oil if wearing the hair in a natural style.
5. On Saturday wash hair with sulfate free shampoo*, deep condition with a light protein conditioner and style as usual.
6. Rotate the conditioners (both moisturizing and protein) every other week so that the hair does not stop responding to them.
7. A hot oil treatment to be applied to hair for 20 minutes before shampooing once a month.
8. Apply a caramel treatment to the hair once every 4 weeks to soften and hydrate the hair.
9. Use a strong protein treatment if any out-of-the-ordinary breakage occurs.
10. When straightening the hair make sure to use a heat protectant*.
11. Use only temperature controlled heat styling tools and only use heat once a month. Wear hair in natural styles most of the time.
12. Use only ammonia free hair colours once every 6-8 weeks if required.
13. Keep the hair braided for at least one out of 4 weeks to save on a detangling session and for length retention.
14. Do not braid too close to the edges (small baby hairs) to avoid thinning of the hairline.
15. Clarify the hair once every 6-8 weeks or when a lot of product has been used during the week to get rid of build up. Do not do this often to prevent the hair from feeling ‘stripped’ and dry.
16. Dust any split ends once every 6 months.
17. Track your growth every 3 months with pictures.
Each person’s hair is individual and if you are not new to hair care then you will already be aware of your hair’s likes and dislikes. Some people have protein sensitive hair. This means that protein makes their hair hard so they know to avoid too much protein. Some people know that they do not have much time for hair care due to work of family commitments so keep it braided for styling convenience. See the article on how to braid the roots of natural hair to prevent tangling.
Your hair’s needs should always dictate your regimen. Sometimes you may find that your lifestyle might get in the way of your hair care but if you are determined to grow your hair long and beautiful then simply tweak your regimen to suit. You may also find that due to changes in the weather, you may need to adjust your regimen periodically.
you can leave out the protein treatments if your hair is protein sensitive
Nice info—but rather confusing, I thought it was best after step 2–to also apply a leave in conditioner and then follow it up by sealing it with an oil?? I like the articles, I just am getting a bit confused.
Water is the moisture that you are sealing in with the oil in this case. Some ladies may want to add a leave in conditioner before sealing, particularly one that has glycerine or a similar ingredient that attracts moisture from the atmosphere keeping your hair soft. It is really a personal preference, not a one size fits all approach! Just find out which way works best for you. Good luck! 😀
Good info