Hello friends,
Since writing my first post on my hair-care routine and favorite hair products I have made a few changes, so I thought I would share an updated version. Thank you so much for following my blog! I love sharing hair pictures with you, as well as hairstyle videos on my Youtube channel.
I will start with my favorite brand of shampoo and conditioner. I love any and all Herbal Essences, especially Honey, I'm Strong, Touchably Smooth, and Long Term Relationship. Sometimes I mix it up and use one kind of shampoo with another kind of conditioner. I like to buy the regular size shampoo but the extra-large size conditioner. But even when I do this, I still manage to run out of conditioner first!
To wash my hair, I use the C-W-C method that I learned on the Long Hair Community. This stands for Condition, Wash, Condition. I usually wash my hair in the shower two nights a week. First I get my hair wet with cool water (I never use hot water on my hair because that can damage your hair). Then I condition the length, from about my neck down. I never put conditioner on the top of my head near my roots, because this makes my hair come out easier when I comb it and I certainly don't want that! Then I shampoo only the top of my head, never the length, because shampoo on the bottom of my hair causes it to dry out. The conditioner on the bottom helps protect my hair from the shampoo on the top. I rinse all that off, and then condition the bottom again. I leave this conditioner on for several minutes, then rinse it off quickly so there is still some conditioner remaining on my hair. Not enough to make it heavy or leave build-up, but just enough so my hair feels smooth and slippery. (I explain how I wash and condition my hair in my video on a high fishtail braided bun.)
I wrap a towel around my wet hair and leave it wrapped up for about 10-15 minutes. Then I take the towel off and spray my hair all over, top and bottom, with No More Tangles leave-in conditioner. This miracle product can be found in the baby section of Walmart, and my hair loves it! It can be used on wet or dry hair, so during the week if my hair starts to get tangled when I'm styling it I will stop and spray it with NMT. I comb my hair out with a big tooth comb. I never use a brush on my hair, only my favorite big-tooth comb that I have had for years. I do use a round brush on my bangs, and a rat-tail comb to make parts when I am braiding.
Like I mentioned before, I usually wash my hair at night and let it air-dry all night long. To avoid getting a wet pillow, I sleep on my side with my hair flung out behind me. I have a stand-up fan on high pointed at my head :-) When I wake up the next morning my hair is almost always dry. I wash my bangs each morning and blow-dry them with my hair-dryer that has a round brush attachment.
Every 4-6 months, I rinse my hair in an apple-cider vinegar rinse like I learned on the Long Hair Community. This works great to clarify my hair and remove any build-up from all the conditioner I use. There are many methods, but I have found that a spoonful or two of apple-cider vinegar in a big glass of water works best for me. After washing my hair with the C-W-C method and rinsing out the conditioner one last time, I dump the glass of vinegar-water over my whole head and work it quickly through my hair with my fingers. Then I rinse my hair off very well in cool water. After this apple-cider vinegar rinse, my hair is so smooth and shiny, and very easy to comb out. But I can't do it too often or the ends of my hair get dry. My favorite brand of vinegar is Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. It is all-natural and works wonderfully!
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My favorite kind of hairspray is Suave non-aerosol Max Hold. I use it on my bangs and also on my hair after I finish braiding or styling it. I try to avoid getting any hairspray on my clips or jewelry.
As for trimming my hair, I have let it grow as long as floor-length, but I soon cut it back to ankle-length. I prefer to keep the ends of my hair even and straight across the bottom, but also relatively thick all the way down. I don't like an obvious taper or fairy-tale ends, because I think a person's hair looks thicker and healthier when it is even and straight at the hemline. I know many people feel otherwise, and fairy-tale ends can be very pretty! But for me I prefer my hair to be even and as thick as possible all the way down. When I was a teenager, I had developed a "V" shape in the middle of my hair because I was always parting it to make double French braids. I had it cut up as far as tail-bone length to get rid of the "V" and it grew back very healthy and even. I think you shouldn't be afraid to trim off a few inches in your hair-growing journey, if doing so will help you have healthier hair in the long run (no pun intended :-) I use sharp hair scissors on my length and special trimming scissors on my bangs. My bangs (and eyelashes and eyebrows for that matter!) grow very quickly. It's probably from all the shampoo for long hair!
I use so much conditioner that I rarely have trouble with split ends. If I notice my hair is getting uneven across the bottom, or that the ends look a little scraggly, then I know it is time for a trim. I get my hair trimmed every 4-6 months, or as needed. I trim my bangs about every 6 weeks or so. When they start covering my eyebrows or get in the way of my mascara wand, I know it's time for a trim! I trim my bangs myself but I have to have help with my hair. I stand on a chair so someone can trim it for me :-)
My Micronesian friends use coconut oil on their thick, black hair, but I do not use it myself. I will post their hair-care tips separately. Also, because I live in Micronesia, I use rainwater. This is absolutely the best for my hair! If you live somewhere where you possibly can, I highly recommend washing your hair in rainwater. It is very soft and just what my hair loves.
One more final hair-care tip, and perhaps the most effective one: I eat a spoonful of peanut butter every day. My aunt's hair-dresser told her years ago to eat peanut butter so her hair would grow faster. My aunt told me and I tried it, and found out that the secret worked! When I eat peanut butter, my hair grows faster and is stronger and healthier. I like to put a spoonful of peanut butter in my Slim-Fast milkshake every morning. It tastes so good, just like a Reese's peanut butter cup!
Thank you for taking the time to read my hair-care post. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I love hearing from you! And keep an eye on my Youtube videos, because I try to mention different hair-care tips from time to time. Thank you, and have a beautiful hair day!
