My Fall 2011 Natural Hair Regimen

It is definitely that time again.

Feeling crisp in my lightweight cargo jacket, I bopped happily down the sidewalks today after finishing my classes, taking in the the soon-to-be autumn air. Although I’ve since traded in my pigtails and plaid jumper uniform for a more adult aesthetic, something about the fall season makes me regress into a happy little school girl.  Back then, the fall season signified the return of my multicolored folders, mechanical pencils, and the practiced art of picking out my clothes the night before school. While I can’t say I’ve necessarily maintained any of these practices—important documents now go into my very “grown-up” file cabinet and my school uniform consists of black yoga pants and nikes—I never was able to shake the need for a new routine with the changing of the seasons.

If I’m honest, most of my “Fall 2011″ routines are still up in the air (Wake-up at 6am or 7? Shower before breakfast or after?) but the one I think I’ve managed to finally drill down is (big surprise) my hair routine. With the summer temperatures fading fast, I’ve committed to the following in order to keep my hair together this season:

1. Wash hair and put into small/medium two-strand twists for 1 week. Rinse once or twice before the week’s end to keep the scalp fresh. Wear twists pulled back or in a bun throughout the week with headbands or hair accessories for extra “flare”. Cover at night with a silk scarf to keep twists from looking “old”.
2. Unravel two-strand twists and wear in a twist-out for 1 week (see pictures). Mist hair and scalp with water every other day or so, and oil scalp with grapeseed mix*. Put in 7-8 large, chunky twists and cover with a bonnet for bed.
3. Wash hair and repeat steps 1 & 2 for another full 2 weeks of styling, choosing plaits instead of two-strand twists if I get bored and want a slightly different style (i.e. a braid-out).
4. After doing the twist/twist-out (or braid/braid-out) cycle twice (4 weeks total), wash hair with clarifying shampoo (followed by a deep condition), plait and let air-dry in order to stretch hair. Take plaits down and flat-iron hair. Wear straight for one week.
5. Do steps 1-4 all over again!

So that’s my fall hair routine. I like it because it is simple but still gives me versatility without much manipulation so that I don’t get bored. My tentative product line-up is:

• African Black Soap (my “shampoo”)
• Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo (my “clarifying” shampoo)
• Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner
• Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner + honey + olive oil (my deep conditioner)
• Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner + aloe vera juice + grapeseed oil (my leave-in conditioner/moisturizer, à la Kimmaytube)
• Water filled spray-bottle + apple cider vinegar and Eucalyptus essential oil (my itchy scalp remedy, used after my shampoo and rinsed out before my conditioner)
• Shea Butter (my “styling cream”, although I am currently looking for a Shea butter blend so that it is less thick and greasy)
• Grapeseed oil + drops of Eucalyptus, Rosemary, and Tea Tree essential oils (my itchy scalp oil)
• Plain water (my everything!)

So that’s all she wrote folks. Are you overhauling your hair regimen this fall? What are your “hair plans”?

Tagged as: braid outs, braids, hair growth, low maintenance, natural hair, regimens, straight hair, twist outs, twists