It is important to have a regular hair care regimen, which incorporates the basic steps in hair care. Your choice of a hair care regimen depends on the time available, willingness or ability to handle one’s hair personally and possession of hair styling equipment (a steaming cap, flat iron, hairdryer, etc).
Suggested regimens
If you have time on your hands and have the necessary equipment, you can:
- Prepoo once a week with protein and oils (e.g Saturday). Follow this with a shampoo.
- Shampoo once a week (e.g Saturday) and co-wash later on in the week. (e.g Wednesday). Follow with a deep conditioner.
- Deep condition twice a week.
- Air dry/Blow dry/wrap set/roller set.
- Style (in a bun preferably).
- Moisturize and seal daily or every other day.
- Massage oil lightly into scalp
- Moisturize and seal daily or as needed
If you have equipment but don’t have enough time, you can:
- Prepoo once a week with protein and oils followed by a shampoo.
- Deep condition once a week.
- Air/dry/blow dry/wrap set/roller set.
- Style (in a bun preferably).
- Moisturize and seal daily or every other day.
- Massage oil lightly into scalp
- Moisturize and seal daily or as needed
If you don’t have the equipment, just do the above but in a hair salon.
Other suggestions
- Use a clarifying shampoo once a month (or earlier if your hair feels weighed down or sticky even after washing). Follow this with a protein conditioner and moisturizing deep conditioner.
- Use a protein reconstructor every 2 weeks in place of your prepoo.
- Use a protein reconstructor a week before you get a relaxer.
I prefer products without Sodium Lauryl Sulfates (SLS), silicones (cones), petrolatum and mineral oil so all my product recommendations with SLS, silicones and mineral oils shall be indicated. I’m a product junkie, always looking for the perfect product ! So believe me when I say I’ve used most of the products that I’m going to list below:
1. Prepoo conditioners/protein conditioners:
- Africa’s best organics olive oil and clove oil therapy. I love this. The day I used this, I didn’t get a single strand on my comb after detangling in the shower.
- Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein conditioner.
- Aubrey Organics Normalizing conditioner
- Extra Virgin coconut oil
- Aloe Vera gel. E.g. Forever Living aloe vera gel
- Motions deep penetrating treatment (mineral oil, water soluble cones)
- Motions CPR Treatment conditioner (mineral oil, cones)
- Organic Root Stimulator hair mayonnaise (cones)
2. Shampoos
- Isoplus additions gentle conditioning shampoo
- Tigi bedhead superstar sulfate-free shampoo for thick massive hair.
- Aubrey organics normalizing shampoo
- L’oreal Sulfate-free shampoos (cones)
- Vo5 clarifying shampoo (SLS) : for clarifying only.
- Ion Swimmer’s shampoo
3. Deep conditioners
- Kenra Moisturizing conditioner
- Lustrasilk sheabutter cholesterol
- Aubrey Organics White Camellia
- Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
- Africa’s best organics cholesterol/tea tree oil (cones)
- Creme of nature professional nourishing and strengthening treatment (cones)
- Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Replenishing Treatment (cones)
4. Leave-in conditioners
- Revlon Special feeling
- Dr Miracle’s healing leave-in treatment
- L’oreal Sulfate-free moisture leave-in conditioner (cone)
- Bumble and bumble leave-in conditioner
- S curl activator (cones)
- Mane n Tail Daily conditioner
5. Serum/Heat protectants
- Paul Mitchell super skinny serum (cones)
- Fantasia IC serum (cones)
- Curly Hair solutions Remane straight
- AG set it straight straightener
- FX special effects flat iron spray
6. Moisturizers
- Africa’s best carrot oil
- Africa’s best olive oil (cones)
- Africa’s best Shea butter (cones)
- Jane carter Nourishing cream
- Organic Root stimulator carrot oil
- Organic Root stimulator olive oil (mineral oil). I think it makes hair hard so use lightly.
- Wave nouveau moisturizing finishing lotion
- S curl activator (cones)
- Mane n Tail daily conditioner (soluble cones)
7. Sealants
- Hollywood beauty mink oil (paraffinum liquidum/mineral oil)
- Extra virgin coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Hot six oil
- Jane Carter Solution Nourish and shine
- Jojoba oil
- Safflower oil
8. Scalp oils
9. Protein reconstructors
- Motions CPR Protein Reconstructor (cones)
- Joico K-Pak Deep-penetrating reconstructor (cones)
**This post was updated on 30/03/2013**
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Do you think dark and lovely products are worth using?
Yes some Dark and Lovely products are good. The only ones I can recommend though are the ones I've used before: their relaxer and their cholesterol (for steaming). I'm not sure but I think some of their other products contain mineral oil which some people argue is not good for hair. If any of their products do contain mineral oil, avoid it please just to be on the safe side. Hope I've been of help. Thanks for dropping by Toju. Have a nice day.
Dr, I have read a couple of your articles and i find them very interesting, i will like to also know a couple of things. i stay in the far north where the weather can be extremely harsh, but i use Olive oil shampoo and the conditioner. But from what i read from your article am to use the replenishing park for prepoo , shampoo then and after that i will use the Deep conditioner. but my question is wont i wash my hair first before the prepoo.
Then secondly which hair cream can i be using, i use carrot oil from African Best product and it looks like its not a regular hair cream.
i will really appreciate it if i can be cleared on these issues
Thanks TJ
Hi there!
Thanks a lot for the information.
I recently bought a Dark and Lovely moisturizer but didn't realize till I got home that it had mineral oil in it…
I would just like to know if it would be a good idea to use it to seal because of the mineral oil? In other words can I use ORS moisturizer on my hair and seal with mineral oil or Dark and Lovely as I know it keeps moisture in. Would this work?
Hello anonymous TJ, sorry that I'm only just responding. TJ, a prepoo is done before you shampoo your hair. It helps to prevent excess moisture loss. Secondly, carrot oil is a good moisturizer because I think it has water as one of its ingredients (please correct me if I'm wrong). The only caveat is that due to its water content, it can make your hair frizzy if you use too much. I'd advise you to use it lightly!
Hi Jade, sorry for the delay in responding to your comment. I believe you can use the dark and lovely moisturiser to seal but very lightly.
Sorry for deviating but I would like to know if the ORS moisturiser has some oil in it already? If it does, you might not need another moisturizer to seal. Try going without the dark and lovely sealant and see if your hair dries out or not. If it does, then continue using the oil to seal in the moisture in your hair. If it doesn't, then use the ORS moisturizer 'au soitaire'! Thanks for stopping by!
I have a hand dryer. I presume it’s the same as a blow dryer or am I wrong? Can I use it for steaming after wrapping with a plastic cap and a towel. Do you think it would work?
I’ve had it rough with these salon stylists. their combing techniques wreck serious havoc on all my hard work. I want to challenge myself to style at home for about a month and visit the salon for only retouching.
Yes they are the same thing. It’ll be cumbersome I think but it’s possible. What u can do is to warm your oils a bit and microwave a wet towel. Use it to wrap your hair . Read this for detailed instructions. Tk care
Alright! Dr, i am just trying to get more clarification. Does it mean i have to follow this regimen week in,week out till i get another relaxer treatment,without doing protective styles like braids and weaves?
Sorry I missed this comment. No, you can do protective styles whenever you please. This regimen is what you can follow when you have your hair out.
PLEASE HELP ME!!! I’ve tried so many different products that’s I’m broke from buying and my hair is still shedding and not health. I flat iron or blow dry 1-2 times a month. I use natural products. I shampoo twice a month. I just stopped using the egg, mayo and beer protein treatme t cause I think it’s shredding my hair. I’m a African American with course dry lifeless bitten up hair. It gets a trimming with every perm(I do at home). The winter ate part of my hair up and the rest just falls out. I’m stressing… Yes. I drink soda… Yes. I don’t brush my hair and I use a wide tooth comb to comb my hair. HELLLLLLLLPPPP. MY HAIR SUCKS UP MOISTURE. I condition it once a week. I hate to even wash my hair. I have some parts shoulder length, some parts to my shoulder and other parts of my hair below my ear. My sink and shoulders have enough hair to build a wig. Helllllpppppp me
KYESHIA, sorry for the delayed response. Can you stop flat ironing and blow drying your hair for now till you can get it back in shape? What type of flat iron do you use? Look for an ionic flat iron that is either ceramic, titanium or tourmaline. The egg, mayo and beer protein treatment might have been very heavy duty protein and that could cause excessive breakage.
What you can do is this: On a day that you’re not going anywhere, wash your hair. Look for a clarifying shampoo or any regular shampoo will do. Wash your hair thoroughly. Condition your hair with any conditioner that doesn’t have protein in it. If the conditioner makes it easy for you to comb your hair, then carefully use your widetooth comb to detangle your hair in at least 4 sections under the shower (with the conditioner still in your hair). Then rinse out the conditioner. When you get out of the shower, squeeze out the excess oil from your hair. Apply a leave-in conditioner that doesn’t contain any protein. If you have a soft brush, you can smoothen the top of your hair. Pin up your ends. Tie a scarf around your hair and let your hair air dry. If it’s not dry by evening, take off the scarf and un-pin your ends. It should dry faster this way. When it is 80% dry, you can carefully comb through your hair in as many sections as possible. I believe that your breakage should be less.
Every evening, apply a hair moisturizer on your hair. Finger comb through your hair on week days. Only use your comb on wash days.
If the conditioner doesn’t make it easy for you to comb through your hair, don’t worry. Step out of the shower. Spray a detangling spray and carefully comb through your hair from ends to roots. Apply your leave-ins and follow the rest of what I outlined above.
I didn’t ask how often you relax your hair. How many weeks post-relaxer are you?
I use sweet almond oil to seal my hair, is this good enough?
Yes it is Eve!