How I Take Care of my Hair
Here are Southern we get quite a few rainy days, hot days, humid days, and even days that are all of that at once! Three of our Southern ladies are here to share how they keep their hair looking great in the meanwhile. If you don't recognize the codes some girls use to describe their hair, check out this hair typing system.
We have so many beautiful hair colors, textures and styles represented at Southern that this post doesn't even scratch the surface! Please comment to share your hair type and let us know how you keep it fresh.
Alexa
1) Describe your hair texture.
My hair texture is a cross between wavy and curly. It’s thick, often frizzy and almost down to my waist; however, the length varies depending on the tightness of my waves and curls.
2) How often do you wash your hair? Do you wash with just conditioner, or with shampoo, too?
On average, I wash my hair twice a week. I use both conditioner and shampoo. Currently I’ve been loving the Hask Coconut Milk and Organic Honey Curl Care Shampoo and Conditioner. It’s affordable, which is great because I have a lot of hair and it really enhances my curls and waves.
3) What is your after-wash routine?
After I wash, I use an oversized t-shirt to dry my hair. This helps cut down on the frizziness that towel drying can cause. I always use a leave-in conditioner. For the past semester, I’ve been using Shea Moisture’s 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-in Treatment—it smells great and leaves my hair feeling moisturized. I never comb my hair after showering. This allows my natural pattern to form. Then I use DevaCurl’s Frizz-Free Volumizing Foam and B’Leave-in Miracle Curl Plumper throughout. These products help fight frizz and also give my waves and curls some hold so they last and keep their shape. Then I sleep on my wet hair and wake up in the morning ready to go!
4) How long does washing your hair and styling it afterwards take?
My total hair washing process plus putting in my leave-in products probably takes about 20 minutes. However, I only do this about twice a week and I always do it at night so I can sleep on my hair and it can be ready to go in the morning.
5) How do you keep your hair fresh in between washes?
To keep my hair fresh in between washes I used Kevin Murphy’s Doo Over, which is a dry, texture finishing hairspray. It sounds fancy, but basically it just puts some texture back in my hair when I feel like it starts looking a little limp.
6) How long do you spend on your hair daily? (as in on non-washing days)
I spent about five minutes or less on my hair daily. Typically, I just clip the front pieces out of my face and rock a half-up half-down look. I also like French braiding my hair. This pulls it out of my face but keeps my curl/wave pattern intact, compared to pulling it back in a ponytail.
*Shea Moisture and the Hask Coconut Milk and Organic Honey products can be purchased at Target or Walmart. DevaCurl products can be purchased at Ulta, through Amazon, or at devacurl.com. The Kevyn Murphy products can be purchased at kevynmurphystore.com or through Amazon.
*My haircare routine is pretty standard no matter where I am! The more humidity the better my curls and waves turn out.
Aliana
1) Describe your hair texture.
I have two textures, 3B in the front and the back, but in the center I have tighter curls, more like 3C. But sometimes it’s 3A. I basically have a mixture of the Puerto Rican wave from my mom and the really tight curl from my dad’s side, which is Bermudian. My curls are loose and they’re kind of easy to work with, but then there are some days when they don’t like me at all.
2) How often do you wash your hair? Do you wash with just conditioner, or with shampoo, too?
I wash once a week. My wash days are Thursday/Friday, depending on when I’m less busy. I have to plan out when I’m going to wash it because I need time. I only co-wash if I do a hairstyle at the beginning of the week that would stop me from having my hair out. If I need to have my hair out on Tuesday and I put my hair in a bun on Monday, then I’ll just co-wash it. I make sure that I only wash my hair with shampoo once a week. Washing too much will dry out my hair.
3) What is your after-wash routine?
I scrunch my hair a little bit so that it’s not too soaking wet, but I leave it really wet still. Then I put in curl-enhancing smoothie by Shea Moisture to separate my hair from bottom to top. I put that in each section religiously. Then I shake my hair and clear it out with my fingers. It takes like 24 hours to dry on its own, but if I’m in a rush I diffuse it upside-down with my DevaCurl diffuser.
4) How long does washing your hair and styling it afterwards take?
Washing on its own takes an average of two hours. The styling process is an hour to an hour and a half. Then drying takes the longest. Drying naturally takes a day or two, but if I use my diffuser, I’ll be diffusing it for about two hours. So a total of about five and a half hours.
5) How do you keep your hair fresh in between washes?
At nighttime I wear a silk cap. I flip my hair over, put it on, and squish all my curls into it. They stay nice and tucked in there all night so that when I take it off in the morning they fall out of it naturally. That’s the main thing.
During the day, I don’t play with my hair or do anything to mess it up. Unless I put it in a scrunchy, which means it’s not coming back down. If my hair does get too frizzy, I have a refresher spray. I either mix my leave-in conditioner with water or use an actual refresher spray. I spray it on my hair until it’s kind of damp, squeeze it in, and then diffuse it again. That gives them a little bit of life.
6) How long do you spend on your hair daily? (as in on non-washing days)
When I’m not washing I don’t spend any time on my hair, to be honest. I wake up, pull of my silk cap, and shake it out. I don’t touch my hair at all during the week unless I’m refreshing the curls. Sometimes I do a hairstyle like a ponytail or two buns on the side, which I do for Instagram or for tutorials or just for fun. Those hairstyles really only take 10-15 minutes. So not long at all.
-
For more hair care tips from Ali, check out her Instagram @aliana.king and her youtube: JesItsMeAli
Sherley
1) Describe your hair texture.
I have type 4A-4C. 4A in the front of my hair, 4B in the middle and sides, 4C in the back.
2) How often do you wash your hair? Do you wash with just conditioner, or with shampoo too?
I wash my hair once a week depending on the hairstyle I have. If I wear ponytails or afros I’ll wash it once or twice a week with shampoo and conditioner depending on the products I use. If I have a protective style like mini braids or mini twists, I’ll wash once or twice a month. I deep condition my hair with every wash using Hair Mayonnaise or Hair Cholesterol. Sometimes I’ll do a hot oil treatment as well, but that’s once a month.
3) What is your after-wash routine?
After I wash my hair, I separate my hair in four to six sections. Then I apply my Cantu coconut oil moisturizing spray. After, I use Cantu’s coconut curling cream then any oil I having following the LOC method. If I choose to do my hair it’ll most likely be a pineapple style, low ponytail, or goddess braids. I do these hairstyles to stretch my hair before I do a protective style two to three days later. If I moisturize my hair, I won’t have to do it again when I style it long term.
4) How long does washing your hair and styling it afterwards take?
My hair routine takes three to four hours including deep conditioning, hot oil treatment, shampooing, conditioning, and styling.
Two hours for shampooing, conditioning, and styling.
Protective styles take longer, so it’s really six to eight hours if my arms start hurting. That’s how women gain muscle hahaha.
5) How do you keep your hair fresh in between washes?
I use my Cantu coconut oil spray for the smell. If not, I just co-wash my hair instead of the full process.
6) How long do you spend on your hair daily? (as in on non-washing days)
Daily is never an option for me. Ponytails usually last a week, same as goddess braids and pineapples. If I get bored then I’ll switch it up, but that’s rare. Protective styling keeps me out of my hair daily and those last one month.
-
For more hair care tips from Sherley, check out her Instagram @n.a.l.a._ and her Youtube channel: ShallayBeNatural
blog comments powered by Disqus
Disclaimer: Southern Adventist University does not officially endorse any of the products or brands mentioned in this post.