What Products Do I Use?
After many requests, I have FINALLY written down the products, tools, and methods I use for the hairstyles I wear most! By no means is this a one size fits all. Throughout my natural hair journey, I’ve gone thru a lot of trial and error to figure it out. But I do hope that this will help you get going in the right direction. So let’s get started!
Tools
The tools I use are pretty much the same for all the styles I wear. I’ve listed them all in 7 Hair Tools Every Natural Should Have so check that out! The only tool I did not include is the Q-Redew Handheld Steamer. I’ve been using it for about 3 months now and this little steamer has been such a lifesaver for my low porosity hair! It makes it easier for my hair to absorb moisture, and easier for the products I use to actually penetrate my hair shaft. I’ll give you a little more detail in the deep conditioner section below.
Shampooing and Conditioning Products
Like I’ve said before in a different post, I’m a minimalist of sorts. I don’t like having unnecessary things or duplicates. After I find something I like, I stick to it because why have multiple shampoos and conditioners (that take up lots of space) when I can only use one at a time? So let’s get into shampoo and conditioner. Because I have low porosity hair, build up occurs very easily. So I shampoo my hair every other time I wash. However, I only add shampoo to my roots because my primary purpose of using shampoo is to get excess product and dead skin off of my scalp. After I add shampoo to my roots, I usually coat the rest of my hair in conditioner so that I can clean my hair while leaving as much of the natural oil as possible. The combination of the conditioner and the shampoo that runs down the hair as I rinse is enough to remove all of the product buildup, but also not completely strip my hair of it it’s natural oils.
Right now, I’m using The Mane Choice Easy On The CURLS - Detangling Hydration Shampoo and The Mane Choice Easy On The CURLS - Detangling Hydration Conditioner.
My tried and true leave in conditioner is the Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner. This is the leave in conditioner I use nine times out of ten. I love this product in particular because of it’s versatility. It’s the only product I’ve been able to use on my hair when it was relaxed, during my transition, and on my natural hair. It also layers really well under most products.
So let’s talk about layering. Layer (v.) means to form or arrange in layers. So when I say layering, I mean just that. Arranging products in the right order, in layers, on your hair. I almost always start with a leave in conditioner, and from there I add a cream and/or a styling product. I’ll detail the specific layers of each hairstyle below.
Product Layering Tip: If you’re looking to layer different products, I would highly suggest mixing the products on the back of your hand first to determine if the products will blend well and dry clear in your hair. There is nothing worse than taking your sweet, precious time styling your hair and ending up with a white cast or white fuzzies everywhere. Whenever I try new products or new combinations, I do this test. However the products mix on your hand is how they will mix in your hair. As you can see, the products I used on the right (Mielle Organics hair milk, eco styler gel, and Giovanni leave-in) did not mix well, hence the white clumps. The products on the left (Mielle Organics hair milk, eco styler gel, Mielle Organics leave-in), however, blended seamlessly into a smooth and creamy mixture.
Deep Conditioner
The deep conditioner that I’ve used faithfully for the last couple years is the Eden BodyWorks Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner. After washing my hair, I add this product to my hair one section at a time, steam the hair with the Q-Redew so that the product can penetrate the hair, finger detangle, and twist. After all of my hair has been conditioned, detangled, and twisted, I put it in a plastic processing cap for 15-30 minutes and rinse it out.
Protein Treatment
I use the Aphogee Keratin Two Minute Reconstructor when my curls begin to look a little lifeless. Healthy hair is all about balance, and sometimes my hair gets too much moisture from deep conditioning. When my curls start to look super loose, I know it’s time for a protein treatment. Following the treatment, my curls bounce back. I only do protein treatments every 6-8 weeks because like I said, healthy hair is all about balance and too much protein can mean dry, brittle hair. I also typically follow a protein treatment with a deep condition to restore moisture.
So, my wash day process usually looks like this:
Step 1: Rinse hair (remove as much product as possible with warm water only)
Step 2: Shampoo/condition, scrub scalp with shampoo brush, and rinse
Step 3: Protein treatment (once every 6-8 weeks)
Step 4: Deep Condition (every wash in the winter and every other wash during other seasons)
Step 5: Style
Styles and Methods
Now that I’ve given you the tools I use and the steps of the wash day process, we can talk about how I achieve specific styles.
Wash-n-Go
The products I use currently:
Wash-n-Go Day 2
Mielle Organics Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk
For wash-n-gos, I part my hair into four sections. I add the hair milk, one section at a time. Then I add the gel starting at the bottom, one row at a time. While I’m working on a row, I keep the rest of the untouched hair in a loose ponytail on top of my head and covered in a processing cap to retain as much moisture as possible. I also keep a spray bottle handy because it’s best to apply the gel to damp/borderline wet hair to keep everything smooth and neat. When I get to the top/front of my head, I part my hair and add a little extra gel to the hair directly on the sides of the part to ensure that I get a sleek look. If it’s warm outside, I’ll lightly diffuse my hair until it’s about 20-30% dry, and then air dry. If it’s cold outside, I’ll diffuse my hair until my roots are completely dry and the rest of my hair is about 80% dry.
Wash-n-Go Day 6
So I call this a wash-n-go because I don’t manipulate the texture or curl pattern of my hair at all. The wash part is accurate, but there really isn’t much “go” in the process. I use a method called the shingling method, which takes me about an hour. My hair is mid-back length when fully stretched out and pretty thick (just to give you an idea of how much hair I have in comparison to the time). But I’d much rather put in an hour of styling time upfront and get a week’s wear out of a wash-n-go than do something that takes 20 minutes and only lasts a couple days. I also like the shingling method because it helps to keep my hair detangled, which is a huge feat for me! 90% of the time I wear wash-n-go because I can get the most wear out of them.
This is a really good video that demonstrates how the shingling method works.
Twist Out
Mini Twists
For twist outs, I typically don’t part my hair because when I take the twists out, I don’t want the parts to be visible. Much of the process is the same as with the wash-n-go. I part my hair into four sections and add the leave in conditioner, one section at a time. Then I part a row at the bottom of my head and bag the rest in a loose ponytail on top of my head. I grab a section of hair, add the twisting cream to the section, and twist. I usually let my hair dry and set overnight. The next morning, I add jojoba oil to my fingers and separate the twists until I am satisfied with the volume.
Twists/Mini Twists
The products used and process is the same as with twist outs, with the exception of taking the twists down the next day.
Flexi Rods
I haven’t done these in a while, but I like to do these when I still want curls and volume, but a more formal or dressy look.
Products Used:
Flexi Rod Set
Flexi Rods
Jojoba oil
I start again in four sections, adding leave in conditioner to each section. I then part a row at the bottom and bag the rest of my hair on top of my head in a loose ponytail. I part a smaller section of hair with my fingers, add the twist and loc gel, and wrap my hair around the flexi rod, starting at the root and finishing with the ends. Sometimes I sit under a hooded dryer to set the curls, other times I let them set and dry overnight. When they’re dry, I take all of the flexi rods out, add jojoba oil to my fingers, and separate the curls until I get the desired volume.
Braid Out
Product's Used:
Braid Out (about 20 braids)
Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner
It's Yours Hair Co. Curl Definer
Jojoba oil
I start again in four sections, adding a little jojoba oil and leave in conditioner to each section. I then part a medium size row at the bottom to start the braids and continue up. When I get to the crown of my head, I start parting larger rows to create the fuller, top heavy look that I like without having to pick my hair. I leave 1-2 inches of hair out at the end of each braid and add a perm rod. This helps me avoid frizz when it's time for take down and gives my ends a nice, neat finish to match the braid out pattern. I will sit under a dryer for a 30-40 minutes, depending on how damp they are, and air dry the rest of the way. Add a little jojoba oil to your fingers and take down the braids!
Protective Styles
I’m very much so the “set it and forget it” type when it comes to protective styling, so there are only a couple things I use:
Cantu Shea Butter Cleanse Root Rinse (great for an itchy scalp when you’re not ready to take the style down yet)
Q-Redew Handheld Steamer (great for keeping your hair moisturized while in the protective style)
Last tip: I know I just threw A LOT of products at you, but don’t fall prey! If you’re struggling with product junkie tendencies, check out Confessions of a Product Junkie.
That’s it! If you try any of the products or methods I mentioned in this post, let me know how they work for you and if you’d like to see a wash-n-go video from me, let me know in the comments! Thanks for journeying with me.