Tag Archives: styling

rice water

so what are the benefits of using rice water? you may have heard that rice water defines your curls. it does! so i’ve started to incorporate rice water into my weekly routine. below i’ll go into why and how i use it

WHY-

i started using rice water because i was reading about the benefits of protein treatments and how the proper moisture protein balance really is what will define your curls. so i wanted to incorporate more protein. rice water is a low grade protein treatment- it’s not heavy like the ones you can purchase. i like that because i don’t have to worry about it making my hair super hard. since using it, i’ve had less frizz and more definition.

HOW-

so normally the day before i want to do my hair i put a mix of rice and water into my mason jar. i leave it sitting out on the counter til i use it- i make sure it sits for at least eight hours. OR i’ll boil rice and add extra water and pour it into a cup. from either method, i pour the water into a cup, making sure that there is little to no rice in it. then once it’s cool (if it was boiled). i shampoo my hair. then i pour it into my hair (like a rinse) and then tie it up with a pony and put a shower cap on. i leave it in for 15 minutes, then i rinse it out. I will either then rinse it out with water or shampoo it out (it depends- if feels like a residue is left, just shampoo it) and then i DEEP CONDITION. this is essential!!! it keeps your hair from getting hard. remember the goal is the moisture protein BALANCE.

I then style as normal- i’ll make an update post on my hair care regimen- it’s changed so much.

feb 2018 hair care routine

*drumroll* IT’S TIME FOR AN UPDATED HAIR CARE ROUTINE!

Though not much has changed I just want to keep you all updated!

Prepoo-

  • Before I wash my hair I always add a generous amount of oil- normally either shea butter or avocado oil

Washing-

  • Prior to washing, I rinse my hair with warm water to get rid of the excess product and oil
  • I wash my hair once a week using Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo. I normally wash three times; I could probably do two washes and be fine but I like three.
  • Normally when I wash I try to massage my scalp for at least one of the washes. Scratching your scalp can leave your hair tangled, so I try to limit it.

I always use warm water to wash

Conditioning-

  • I always deep condition after EVERY wash. it’s essential to making my hair easy to maintain. I’m currently using Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment mask, but I also really like Eden Body Work’s Natural Deep Conditioner (they just didn’t have it at target when I needed deep conditioner).
  • I section my hair in four parts. I work one section at a time to add conditioner then comb out that part using my denman brush (which is a lifesaver- it defines your curls and makes detangling easier). Then I normally twist the section that I just added conditioner to or use a ponytail holder to secure it. After all sections are done I go over my hair once more with the denman brush
  • I either sit under the drier for 15 minutes (while wearing a clear shower cap) or use an old target bag over my shower cap for about 30 minutes. I like both methods but the bag is easier if you’re trying to do other things while deep conditioning.
  • I rinse out the deep conditioner with warm water then after it’s all out I use cold water to rinse my hair. It seals in the moisture and reduces frizz.
  • I then take a t-shirt and wrap it around my hair to dry it.

Styling-

protective styling is a must, especially in the winter. it helps you retain moisture plus it’s easier to maintain. I need something that’s going to be easy to maintain. Mostly because I’m a little lazy.

  • pick the right protective style- the two most popular styles are braid outs and twists outs. i used to do braid outs a lot until one of my friends twisted my hair and I saw how much less shedding I had. After that, I pretty much only do twists or twist outs.
  • Once a week I wash, deep condition and style my hair. I do twists of some sort. How I style the twists depends on if I’d like to wear it down or not- I’ll do flat twists if I want to wear it down. I like flat twists because the root is twisted so it’s easier to get through.
  • Normally i leave the flat twist in for a day or so then untwist it. I moisturize my hair every day.

Moisture-

Normally I do the LOC method, but I read that doing the LCO method reduces frizz so I plan on trying that out.

  • Liquid/Leave-In- I use water and peppermint oil first (they’re mixed in my spray bottle; Leave-In- I use Miss Jessie’s Leave In Condish
  • Cream- I use Cantu’s Coconut Creme and Camille Rose’s Curlaide
  • Oil- I use OGX coconut milk, shea butter and avocado oil.

my main tips-

  • wash and deep condition weekly
  • protective style
  • drink lots of water! at least half your body weight
  • use satin ponytail holders and bonnets
  • also use a satin pillow case
  • be gentle while combing your hair

this is the amount of shedding I had after eight days of no combing (i don’t comb my hair when it’s twisted, I had it in a twisted style for two days, then wore a turban for three (i put a bonnet on underneath to keep my hair protected from the turban), and then wore it different ponytail styles for three days.

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updated hair care routine 

I haven’t updated my hair care routine in a really long time! So I’ll go through what a normal week is for me using this week and last week as a model. I washed and conditioned my hair on Thursday after I went to a pool party (which was loads of fun). Every night since them my mother has been braiding my hair, just in plait braids. It’s a really protective night style. Last week, I got my wisdom teeth out (which I’ll go into in another post).  Monday I French braided my hair so  I wouldn’t have to worry about it. With that being said I was ready for a style change. When I don’t really know what I want to do with my hair I’ll just ask my mom to braid it, so that in the morning I can pretty much do whatever I want to it. But back to my hair care routine. I’ve been trying out some new products (which I’ll review) and not washing my hair so much. I’ve learned that if I’m using really good products my hair doesn’t have to be soaking wet to retain moisture. What I have below are some guides I’ve been using for my hair (I found them on Pinterest). So I’ve stopped washing so much and just been dry styling (I still use water of course!) Learning that I don’t have to condition my hair daily (which I used to do) has allowed me to have a lot more time. I had to stop because of the eczema I have on my hand (all of the water was starting to cause flare-ups). I honestly couldn’t be happier. My hair is growing and staying healthy while on my hand there is little to no signs to ezcema! It’s a win win situation! 

tip #13

Styling, like I mentioned earlier is really important. A lot of popular protective styles include ponytails or buns. While these are great styles, make sure that you’re watching how you do them. Make sure you use a quality hair tie, compared to a rubber band. Also make sure you switch up where you place the pony, because excessive pulling in one area can lead to breakage. When doing buns make sure you don’t tease your hair too much-it is going to hurt your ends. But all in all make sure that you’re ALWAYS gentle with your hair! You don’t want to do these updos too often because it will take a toll on your edges! Let your hair down!

Hair Growth

For majority of the summer, my hair was curly (which is the way it loves to be, and flourishes that way). The most important thing I did to my hair was the loc method. It allowed my hair to keep the mousiture, so that it grew a lot. My hair is drier, I’d say my hair type is like 3C, but my hair shaft is different so it doesn’t always retain mousiture. It grew a lot, and to be honest I was surprised. I did a lot to my hair to make sure it was taken care of, conditioning (at least one deep condition a week and regular conditioning pre-styling at least three times a week), washed (or co-washed at least once of week), drank lots of water, used the loc method every time I did my hair, and protective styled. Happy styling!