I've suffered a couple of set-backs last year and the early part of this year with regards to my hair. One too many Dominican salon visits, along with my inability to stick to my normal hair care routine during my bathroom remodel, has left me with much work to do to get my hair to mid-back again.
Unfortunately, my memory is a little vague as to the specifics that allowed me to reach mid-back. I'll share with you what I do remember consistently doing:
*Weekly washes and roller sets- I remember that 2007 was the year when I finally had to accept that air drying was working against what I was trying to accomplish. No matter how much I wanted to air-dry, the results spoke for themselves.
*Pre-poo treatments- 2007 was also the year that I began adding product to my hair before my shampoo. Who would have thought that we could enhance the moisture levels of our hair simply by treating it before the wash? I do know know who's wonderful idea that was...but whoever it is, I owe you lunch!
*Natural oils-Before 2007, I spent a large percentage of my income not on the basic necessities, but on the newest hair product craze. Today my robust supply of hair products are beginning to slowly expire in a large hallway closet. Last year my hair thrived on wonderful natural oils like coconut, avocado, jojoba, etc. Now my hard earned money is allocated to much more important expenses-shoes and accessories.
*Green nutrition-Last year I kicked up my nutrition levels by incorporating green foods into my diet. There was a period of time when I was downing a green smoothie every morning. My hair thanked me dearly for my efforts. My new growth was supple and tame and my energy levels were high. The growth I received from drinking the green smoothies rivaled that of consuming high biotin doses (but without the unwanted hair growth on my knuckles and toes
). I have to admit, I've slacked off on the green drinks. I do take green foods in supplement form, but there is nothing like consuming the nutrition in liquid form to get it flowing immediately into the blood stream.
One new procedure that I will add to my routine is the habit of tying my hair up in the evenings. I religiously tie my hair up at night before bed, but I got to thinking about the additional benefits I'd get from tying my hair up right when I get home from work and on the weekends. If I oil my hair lightly and tie it up at 6:00 pm instead of 10:00 pm, that gives my hair an extra 4 hours a night of additional moisture retention potential. Four hours a night 7 days a week is at least 28 hours. If I tie my hair all day on Saturdays and Sundays, that number could go up to more than 40 hours. Imagine how healthy my hair would look if I remained consistent with this practice. I get all excited just thinking about it.
*Another benefit of tying my hair down for longer periods of time would be the flattening of my new growth during stretching season.*
I also plan to reintroduce the habit of re-moisturizing my hair once or twice throughout the day. To be completely honest, I can not think of a time when I received more compliments on the healthy appearance of my hair then when I took the time to reapply oil to my hair throughout the day. People would always ask me what I was using that had my hair looking so healthy. since I am always creating unique oil blends with my favorite oils, I would not recommend a specific product. I would only say that I use natural oils in my hair. Needless to say I defiantly need to bring back the mid-day and late afternoon re-oil method.
So there you have it, nothing special just the fundamentals. Notice I did not mention any special products in an attempt to demonstrate the universal usefulness of each technique. There are some other effective methods that I neglected to mention, like scalp massages and protective styling which would also produce wonderful results. Use what works well with your hair and feel free to add any of my suggestions.
-Here's to the health of you hair.