The Great "Going Natural" Guide ~ Part One

Dictionary: 

• Transitioning — The period of time since one's last relaxer. "Long-term" transitioners are those who wait usually a year or more before they completely cut off the relaxed ends of their hair from the natural growth from the root. "Short-term" transitioners are those who may have waited less than a year before they cut off the relaxed ends.

• BC — "Big Chop" is a term used to describe completely cutting off relaxed hair at any one time.

• ACV — Apple Cider Vinegar

• Baggy  — A deep conditioning or pre-poo treatment where you apply conditioner to the hair and cover it with a plastic hair cap. You can "baggy" your hair for any extended period of time to allow moisture to seep into the hair follicle.

• Co-Wash  — using a conditioner to wash your hair, instead of shampoo

• Cones — Or "silicones" are ingredients in hair products that aren't water soluble. They can make your hair dry or break the strands.

• Deep Conditioning/Treatment — Applying a specifically defined deep treatment/conditioner to the hair for an extended amount of time. Heat may be applied. 

• Essential Oils

• EVOO — Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Pre-poo — A conditioning treatment used prior to shampooing. It's a mixture of oils or conditoiners applied before shampooing to help maintain moisture. 

• Sealing — Applying a water-based moisturizer to the hair and following it with a cream/butter/oil to trap the water into the hair shaft.

• Slip — Describes how slippery a product is, typically a conditioner. The more "slip" a product has, the easier it is to detangle.

Co-washing/Shampooing

• One of the first things you'll have to decide, is how often you will want/need to clean your hair. My typical schedule is about once a week I co-wash, but every four weeks (or once a month) I shampoo.

  •  Shampoo vs. Co-washing: It sounds weird (and I've even heard someone refer to it as dirty), but co-washing can work miracles on any type of  hair.  Traditional shampoos contain sulfates (which create suds), but can be very drying on the hair. You don't just want clean hair, but hair that isn't left dry and breaking off. Using a silicone-free moisturizing conditioner to wash your hair can be the best route or a sulfate-free shampoos. 

    My favorite shampoo/co-washing products (ordered from most favorite, to least):

  • Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner — $4 from Trader Joe's. Every time I stop at a Trader Joe's I make sure to stock up on this product. It provides excellent slip for easy detangling, feels amazing on my scalp, and provides sooooo much moisture.

  • Herbal Essence Hello Hydration — really inexpensive, easily found and provides excellent slip.
  • Kinky Curly Come Clean — sulfate-free, smells fruity, lathers and cleans well. 
  • Yes to Cucumbers conditioner — provides excellent slip and moisture
  • Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo 
    
  • Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo — full of protein

Clarifying

• Clarifying methods help remove impurities from the hair and allows your hair to better respond to moisturizing conditioners.
• Typically the cheapest and easiest way to clarify your hair is using ACV (apple cider vinegar) diluted with water. I only do ACV rinses after co-washing my hair. 
• I dilute the vinegar using 3 parts of ACV and 1 part water. The vinegar is acidic and shouldn't be used too often with color-treated hair. 

Leave-In Conditioners

• Once I've finished washing or co-washing my hair, I then apply a leave-in conditioner for added moisture. Below, I've listed my favorite to least fav products:
• Kinky Curly Knot Today — it's slightly on the expensive side, but I can't sing praises enough for this detangling product. Oh and it smells good too. 
• Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner

Deep Conditioning

• Once a month I deep condition my hair. Once again it's all about providing moisture and taking care of damaged hair. 
• Deep conditioning can either be done with or without heat/steam (although I'm a fan of using a hard hat dryer for this). Typically using heat I will cover my hair with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for 45-55 mins. Without heat, I wrap a warmed towel around my cap covered head and leave the conditioner in for about 2-3 hours.
• Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose
• Aussie Moist conditoner — this is a pretty quick an inexpensive deep conditioning product, but it typically works when mixed with about 3-4 tablespoons of EVOO.
• Yes to Carrots Hair and Scalp Moisturizing Mud mask — it's a pretty good product, but somewhat expensive for a small amount

In Part Two of this guide, I'll discuss styles and styling aids.