After my gray-hair post, a couple of folks asked about my hair care routine. Save for a few months in 2008 in which I lost my mind, I’ve been natural for about 12 years now this time around. And I’ve tried tons of products. Most have left my hair either dry, greasy and dry (yes it can happen) or greasy and dry with the light scent of Tinkerbell perfume rubbed on a sheet of Bounce. And a goat dancing nearby.
Only one line has worked: Kiehl’s. I use their products religiously on my hair and face. Granted, Kiehl’s expensive, but my hair seems to like it. And when my follicles are happy, everybody’s happy. Also, my hair has turned yellow when I’ve used other products. Kiehl’s is the only line that hasn’t discolored my hair. This is another reason why I’m loyal.
Here goes and remember, your mileage may vary.
Note: I neither comb nor brush my hair. I use my fingers to wash, condition and style. I haven’t turned into Bob Marley yet. Not that that would be a bad thing.
Shampoo & condition
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Kiehl’s Olive Oil Shampoo and Conditioner: I wash my hair once a week. I shampoo twice a session with the Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo. Then I apply the Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner and let it set for two minutes. Both products are great for my dry, frizzy hair.
Cold water rinse: I rinse the conditioner out with hot water, then follow with cold water. Apparently doing the latter lessens the chance of frizzing. I’ve seen a big, big difference.
Paper towels: I dry my hair with paper towels, not normal terry cloth towels. Terry cloth can frizz afro hair. I simply blot (not rub) with the paper towels.
Moisturize
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Moisturize: I spritz my wet hair with Kiehl’s Deeply Restorative Smoothing Hair Oil Concentrate. It moisturizes without leaving my hair greasy. Maybe it’s the argan oil.
Moisturize part II: I then liberally apply Kiehl’s Strengthening and Hydrating Hair Oil-in-Cream while my hair is still wet. Again, I only use my fingers. I massage the cream in my hair, making sure I rub all the way to the ends.
Drying
Lightly low dry: I either let my hair air dry or very, very lightly blow dry it with a diffuser attachment (I have the Braun pictured above). I leave it a tad damp when I blow dry. I never, ever, ever put hard heat on my hair anymore. After this, my hair is soft, shiny and has curl definition. Total time for all of this is about 30 minutes.
Upkeep
Castor oil: It seems that a lot of afro wearers swear by shea butter. I can’t. Shea butter sits on top of my hair and makes it look ashy. The shea also dries my hair out for some reason. I just lightly apply castor oil on my hair and scalp before bed.
Satin scarf: Cotton pillowcases dry my hair out and cause breakage. To combat this, I wear a satin scarf to bed every night.
In the morning: I apply the Strengthening and Hydrating Hair Oil-in-Cream in my hair, then follow with a very, very light application of castor oil or I spritz with the Deeply Restorative Smoothing Hair Oil Concentrate then follow with castor oil if my hair needs moisture.
Every other day: For more definition, I rub a little of Kiehl’s Creative Cream Wax in the morning after applying the castor oil. My morning hair routine takes about five minutes. That’s it. I’ve found that the key for me is to leave my hair alone in terms of combing, brushing and blow drying.
So what’s your routine?
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