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Hairy Blog this week: Re-learning Old Lessons…

I know, it’s been a long time since I wrote an advice blog, but the truth is healthy hair is pretty simple for me these days. My routine is wash & twist, twist out day 2 or 3 then wash/cowash day 7. That’s it. My hair stays manageable and healthy looking because I still apply heat (via heat cap) to every conditioner, so it can penetrate, and I keep myself on a schedule to adequately rotate my products without having to think about it.

But this week I found myself relearning an old lesson. Now just before I flat ironed, I ran out of 2 of my staples: Grapeseed oil and Aloe Vera juice. In my early days I was pretty ambitious and did a lot of mixing. Lately though, I have put away my mixing bowls but still found less labour intensive ways of incorporating these 2 essential (for me) hair “products”. The Grapeseed oil I add to conditioners to give slip and make it more moisturizing, while the Aloe Vera juice directly on the hair after rinsing out the conditioner.

From time to time I wonder, are these products/my regimen really necessary, that is do they make a difference on my hair, or is it my hair that has changed? I’ve wanted to test it but find it hard to leave out something, especially when I’ve grown accustomed to it. Since my reversion (from the flat iron) I have noticed that my hair looks rougher than it used to. That is to say, it didn’t shine as much, didn’t hold the twists, was less manageable. I must be due for a treatment, I thought. Then this morning, bells went off. I haven’t used grapeseed oil and aloe vera juice on my hair in a while.

Will these work for you? There is, as always the typical disclaimer, individual results will vary. But I will tell you, if you have 4b or 4c hair, that is, hair with no discernable curl pattern when dry, low shine/sheen then this should work. If your hair is 4a, that is wash and go friendly, then it should work as well – it’s just you probably don’t need these extra steps.

‘Til Next Time