My Weekly Hair Care Routine

Since beautiful hair is a sign of health and vitality, I believe it's very important to do everything we can to treat our hair well.  Eating a proper diet to include a variety of fruits and vegetables is a significant aspect of hair health because our hair is nourished at the root.  We should also be cognizant of what products we're using on our hair.  With so many hair care products out there, it can be overwhelming to find a routine that is affordable, effective, healthy, and simple.  That's my goal for my hair and today I'd like to share what I've discovered with you.

Before I get into my current hair care practices, I'd like to share that it hasn't always been this simple.  I used to lather my hair with all kinds of conditioners, hair masks, and heat protectants.  I felt like I was doing all this work to try to improve my hair texture, but it was still dry and frizzy.

I realized less is more and started researching hair care, focusing on products that are chemical free.  I found an affordable brand called Acure and that's what I use for shampoo and conditioner now.  The ingredients are pure and it's effective at cleansing and smoothing my hair.  You can find this brand at health stores or Amazon.  Everyone's hair type is different, and since I have very thick, course locks, I only wash it twice a week.

On Mondays, I coat my hair with coconut oil and let it sit all day while I do my house work.  Check out my blog, Why You Should be doing Coconut Oil Hair Masks, to learn how you can do this yourself.  I wash out the oil that night and let it air dry.  I ditched all the hair products I used to use and because the coconut oil makes my hair soft, smooth, and shiny, I have no use for them anymore.  Please check out my other blog, Could Hair Products be Causing your Breakouts?, to learn more about the damaging effects of commercial products.

I haven't used a blow dryer in years and that has definitely helped reduce damage.  I used to straighten my hair every other day, about 4 times a week.  Now, I only straighten it once a week, which has also helped reduce heat damage.

Another trick I picked up is called The T-Shirt Hair Drying Trick.  After washing my hair, I wrap it in an old t-shirt instead of a towel.  In the article above, it explains this helps reduce frizz because the fabric is more gentle to your hair when it's wet and more vulnerable to damage.

If you have thick, frizzy hair like me, you know that brushing your hair when it's dry can increase frizz and make you look like you have a lion's mane.  It's also not good to brush your hair while it's wet because more breakage is possible.  The only time I use a brush is a few days after I've washed and straightened it (also right before washing it to get the knots out).  That way, there is a little oil at the roots that can be brushed through the length of the hair.  Distributing the natural oil reduces frizz and smooths the shaft.

On Thursday nights I usually wash my hair again for the weekend and I'm good until the following Monday.  Of course, sometimes I have to adjust this routine according to my schedule, but in general that's how I do it.

I hope this has helped you to simplify your hair care routine.  I would love to hear if you have any suggestions to improve mine!