Maintain the Mane: #1 Wash Routine 

People often ask me questons about how I manage my hair. I decided that “Maintain the Mane” will be dedicated to answering all the questions curly girls and guys might have.

Being a #Naturalista/o isn’t easy, cheap, or for the faint of heart. Hopefully these tips and tricks will help!

Here we go…

For New Year’s Eve, I got box braids as a fun and easy do. It’s been almost 4 weeks and I am taking them down so I thought this would be the perfect time to share my monthly wash routine.

Every month, I wash and deep condition my hair. In between I co-wash to keep my hair moisturized and clean.

Below is the step by step wash process I go through. It seems tedious, but now that I have done it so often, it doesn’t take me long to get through it.

All of the current products I am using are listed, (I forgot the shampoo, but I’ll link it below 😉), and the way in which I use them.  All of these are super easy to find in any drug or beauty store, but I went ahead and linked each product just in case.

First, we must cleanse!

• Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo
• TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner

Before I start, I separate my hair into 4 sections to make it easier to work with.

1. Wash and condition each section at time then pin it up and continue to the next. As I wash my hair, I make sure to finger detangle through it and focus on the roots.
2. When I condition, I finger detangle until it is as smooth and tangle free as i can get it it. Then take a brush to finish the rest. Rinse with LUKE WARM WATER. 
3. Once all 4 sections are washed, conditioned, and detangled; I move on to the next step.

Time to deep condition (Optional…kinda)

• Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Treatment Masque

1. Squeeze out some of the excess water from your hair so you aren’t dripping all over the place.
2. Coat each of the four sections and finger comb the product through it. You want every strand of your hair covered in this lusciousness, trust me.
3. I then but my hair into a low bun, put on a shower cap or trash bag on, then wrap a scarf on my head for about 30 mins.
   1. I don’t like to put heat on my hair, so I try to create as much natural heat as possible by wrapping my head up.
   2. You can always sit under a hooded dryer or even blow dry over the shower cap as well
   3. Anyway you do it, you want to generate heat. That will help the product to penetrate your hair shaft.
4. Rinse with cold water.

Then it is time for the L.O.C method.

*This will maximize moisture and help your style last much longer! Make sure to do this while your hair is till soaking wet.  This video by Buzzfeed explains the importance of this process!

• Kinky Curl Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner– I am not sure this is water based, but it works great for me so I don’t care.
• Unrefined & Organic Coconut Oil (God’s answer to everything)
• Shea Moisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie

1. Separate your hair into those sections again! It just makes life easier, okay?
2. Apply leave-in heavily to each section. Make sure to finger comb it through
3. Apply oil. I use coconut, but different hair types like different kinds. Trial and error will help you figure out which oil works best for your hair type!
4. Apply your moisturizer! No need to pile this on. Just make sure there is enough distributed throughout your hair and then….

Style It!

  

*If you enjoyed this post, let me know! If you would like to see more like this, leave a comment below