Depending on the state of her hair, I like to apply Nutiva coconut oil as a pre-poo treatment. If her hair is super dry, I'll apply it the night before her weekly wash and leave it in overnight. If it's not too dry, I just leave it in for about 30 minutes on the day we shampoo. I really love how soft the coconut oil leaves her hair feeling, and it really works wonders on her ends.
Shampoo:
I use a sulfate-free shampoo to cleanse Skye's hair once a week, whether it's in a style or not, usually on Saturday morning. Lately, I've been using Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo. I seperate her hair into four big sections and end up with two large braids/twists in the front and two in the back. Then I shampoo and rinse each section while she plays in the bath tub. She doesn't usually have too much product build-up so I only have to shampoo each section once.
Leave-In Conditioner:
Lately, I've been using Kimmaytube's Leave-In Conditioner Recipe which is as follows (copied and pasted directly from her youtube page):
*********RECIPE ********"Kimmaytube's Leave-In Conditioner Recipe"
2 tablespoons of YOUR preferred conditioner (silicone free)
2 tablespoons of (Whole leaf version) Aloe Vera Juice with a pH 4.0 or 4.5
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil (optional. I sometimes do without it)
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil
Mix well.
This mixture should be applied to wet, freshly washed hair . Feel free to substitute the oils. The most IMPORTANT part of this mixture is the pH balance. Make sure that it is at least 4.5 ph. pH strips can be purchased from http://www.luvnaturals.com All other ingredients can be found in most local health food stores. Enjoy!
**note: For the preferred conditioner, I like to use Kinky Curly's Knot Today.
Detangling/Banding:
I like to add the leave-in conditioner as I detangle and band her hair into sections. I detangle her hair with my fingers mostly, but I also use a classic Denman 9-row styling brush to help distribute the conditioner evenly and to help with banding. Since most of Skye's hair has looser curls due to the texturizer (insert sad face here), I typically just band her new growth then twist the rest of the section down to the ends. I usually leave it banded for a couple of days, depending on our plans. Here's an example of how I band Skye's hair and the ponytail holders that I like to use (purchased from Family Dollar):
Styling:
Since we are transitioning from texturized hair to natural hair, I like to do a lot of protective styles for Skye's hair as opposed to out styles. I'm still learning new styles (how to cornrow, etc.) so for now I stick to what I know best: mini twists, flat twists, and large/medium two-strand twists. I get a lot of my style ideas from my favorite blogs and you can find links to all of them on our home page. When I steal a style, I am always sure to give credit! No one likes an ungrateful thief, lol:)
Updates:
I am always trying new products and treatments, so I'll be sure to add updates as I implement new things into our routine!
