Finding What Works for You

The idea of a hair journey can be overwhelming for a beginner, especially with the wealth of information available from natural and relaxed hair websites, videos, and blogs; and after partaking in some serious "hair porn" from your favorite long-haired guru it is tempting to simply take what they are doing and put it into practice without first giving thought to your own hair needs.

We co-wash three days a week, deep condition, protein condition, tea rinse, pre-poo and moisturize and seal twice a day all because someone else said so. I am just as guilty of jumping on the latest hair bandwagon as the next girl, and I admit it is difficult not to follow the crowd when journeying towards healthier, longer lengths; but I challenge you ladies to stop following and start leading.

I am in no way suggesting you stop doing these things if they work for you, but I am suggesting that you evaluate your hair regimens and find out what is necessary and what isn't. After a two week trial period I found that frequent co-washing (or rather co-washing at all) does not work for my hair and left it feeling coated rather than cleansed and moisturized. I found that my hair responds well to simply shampooing and conditioning and a pre-shampoo treatment is not always necessary. My hair responds well to being heat styled with a blow dryer and flat iron and sheds significantly less when I style this way as opposed to air drying; however, I retain length better when I lay off the heat for a few weeks at a time.

Finding what is best for you and your hair can be difficult, but once you find the products and regimen that cause your hair to thrive stick with it and evaluate it only when it stops working for you and do not allow others to dictate the road you travel on  your hair journey.

What hair practices have you adopted in your hair journey?