I was so fortunate to be asked by Michelle Breyer to be part of her book, “The Curly Revolution: Inspiring Stories and Practical Advice from the NaturallyCurly Community.”
Not only was I included in the book, she even put me on the cover! What a true honor. The photo shoot for that book was from September 2016 and now, December 2017 my hair has grown significantly, and even got curlier. I wanted to take time to talk about my updated healthy hair regimen.
At this point, I have not colored or bleached my hair in almost three years.
As I was quoted in the book, the bleach truly damaged my hair causing terrible breakage. It will be three years since I last dyed my hair in February 2018. I didn’t realize it when my hair was colored, but the damage that was done negatively affected my curl pattern. While I’m not saying no curly girl should ever dye their hair, make sure you go to a curl professional who knows what they are doing. Additionally, my whole life, my hair does seem to increase in curl as it grows longer.
Since the Curl Revolution shoot, my routine and favorite products have both changed. I now follow the Curly Girl Method using no sulfates or silicones in products at all. Not only has this helped my 2C/3A waves become curlier and defined as well as more manageable, I also think this, along with daily scalp massage with oil has helped my hair grow to the maximum potential each month.
I absolutely love using DevaCurl products now.
Many of their stylers have become “holy grails” including Arch Angel Gel, B’Leave In and Mirror Curls. Their Deep Sea Repair and Melt Into Moisture treatment masks that were released this year have also become my hair’s best friends. I like mixing both of them together for the perfect combination of strength and moisture Other lines I reach for regularly that do not let me down include Raw Curls, CurlSmith and Briogeo. There is also this new refreshing spray, Witch I Love Your Hair, that is a combination of lavender, peppermint, rosemary, castor and argan oils with water. There are real quartz crystals inside the bottle — instead of preservatives — to mix the oils and water together. I love massaging the spray into my scalp to stimulate growth as well as refreshing day 2 or 3 hair. This spray also has uplifting aromatherapy benefits — and it smells amazing!
How I keep my curls in shape:
Here are some regular habits I practice to keep my hair in tip top shape.
- I take a hair vitamin to help compliment a healthy diet. For the past few months I’ve been using CURLS Blissful Lengths Vitamins since the body actually absorbs more liquid than pill form.
- I sleep on a satin pillowcase with my hair in a loose pineapple on top of my head to help prevent friction that can cause frizz, split ends and tangles.
- I wash my hair two to three times a week and use a deep treatment each wash. I add heat to the deep treatment once a week for the treatment to penetrate deeper. I alternate between a co-wash and sulfate-free shampoo each wash.
- I do a hard protein treatment every six weeks. I really like the ApHogee 2 Step Protein Treatment for this, but use a Curly Girl Method-friendly conditioner since their brand has silicones.
- On the days I don’t wash my hair, I use the refreshing spray mentioned above as well as a cream or leave-in conditioner to add more moisture to my dry, high porosity hair especially now that the weather is so cold and dry in Winter.
- I go for regular trims three to four times a year. I love going to the Devachan Salon in NYC! I used to always get my curls cut wet and although those cuts were good, I like getting my curls cut on dry hair a lot better. Regular trims are essential for preventing traveling split ends up the hair shaft.
- I use essential oils for scalp massages almost every day to help keep my scalp healthy and stimulate hair growth.
- I apply styling products on my hair the way LaToya at the Devachan Salon taught me. You can see a video on how I do this here .
- I air dry my hair as much as possible. If I do have to diffuse, I make sure to use a silicone-free heat protector. The best one I found is Briogeo Rosarco Blow Dry Perfection and Heat Protectant Creme. I also do not go out of the house with wet hair if it is below 50 degrees, as I learned that this can also lead to breakage.
The biggest takeaway from my updated curly routine?
Overall, I definitely think my healthy hair is just getting better and better as the months progress. It is growing in healthy and I look forward to having mermaid length hair again hopefully in a year or so.
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