Today marks four years since I went natural. When I started this journey back in 2015, I had no idea what I had in store. From waiting for what felt like a lifetime for my hair to grow out, to experimenting with different treatments, products and hairstyles, it’s definitely been a wild ride. So, in the spirit of celebrating this anniversary, I wanted to share some of the hair products I could not live without, including products that helped during my transitioning days from relaxed hair to natural hair. And don’t worry if you haven’t given up on relaxing your hair, lots of these products work for all hair textures and conditions.
Relaxed Hair
I used to do the bare minimum when I was relaxed. I would wash it about once a month and moisture it perhaps once a week. I think part of it was because of laziness while the other part was not really knowing what to do. But funnily enough, since going natural I’ve seen how I could have taken better care of my hair back then. Firstly, if you’re relaxing your hair you need to make sure it is being kept moisturised. Relaxers contain drying agents that can really dry and irritate your scalp. Leave-in conditioners are your best friends. I personally love the Blue Magic Tea Tree Oil Leave-In Conditioner (you’ll see this pop-up a lot in this post) because it’s soothing and cooling for the scalp whilst keeping it moisturised. For every day, I really love the IC Shea Butter Deep Oil Moisturizer, which helps protect hair against chemicals, heat and the harsh environment. If your hair is ever feeling especially dry and in need of nourishment, you can’t go wrong with the Soft & Beautiful Botanicals Ultra Nourishing Moisturizing Lotion that is packed with just about every oil your hair could want – think olive oil, argan oil, coconut oil, aloe and more.
Transitioning Hair
When it comes to transitioning hair, nothing is more important than maintaining health as this hair is extremely delicate. Transitioning hair is more prone to breakage because of the demarcation line separating the new natural growth and the old chemically straightened hair, so you want products that will nourish your hair. For this type of hair, deep conditioners and hair treatments will make the world of difference. During this time, I was inseparable from the Vitale Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise. I honestly believe this deep conditioner single-handedly helped my hair bounce back. It’s so thick, creamy and moisturising, your hair will feel coated and taken care of. In terms of treatments, I was obsessed with hot oil treatments and loved a sunflower oil treatment. I also really loved doing green tea rinses. To keep my hair moisturised between washes, I relied on the Blue Magic Tea Tree Oil Leave-Conditioner and the Blue Magic Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioner.
Natural Hair
*rubs hands together enthusiastically*
Before I start, I want to say that being natural is a journey. It’s a continuous adventure with no specific destination, that’ll teach you a lot about your hair and yourself. Like I mentioned before, when I first went natural, I didn’t know what to expect, and even after four years, I’m still figuring it out. These days I like to keep things fairly simple by washing my hair once a fortnight, and styling it once a week.
My natural hair wash day routine is straightforward. I’ll always do a deep condition either with the Vitale Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise or with another deep conditioner. I’ve never liked shampoo and always found it to dry my hair out and make it crunchy. For a long time, I’d use ordinary conditioners to clean my hair, but I recently discovered a co-wash that deeply cleans my scalp and hair. I can’t live without the Crème Of Nature Pure-Licious Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner. Not only does it make my scalp squeaky clean without drying it out, but it also helps reduce my shrinkage!
Back when I was relaxed, I would never really put anything in my hair straight away after washing it. But now I have a whole system. I love using the ORS Monoi Oil Anti-Breakage Curl Perfecting Buttermilk while my hair is damp as it keeps my hair soft and moisturised. More recently though I’ve been trying out the Crème Of Nature Coconut Curling Cream which I also really like.
For the longest time, I wasn’t a big fan of oils because they weren’t nourishing and always made my hair feel really dry yet so greasy at the same time. However, I’ve now embraced the oil life and have found some oils that work really well with my natural hair. Aloe vera oil and moringa oil are my favourites.
As for making sure my dry prone 4c hair doesn’t dry out, I have a WHOLE arsenal of products I could not live without. After all these years, I’m still head-over-heels in love with the Blue Magic Tea Tree Oil Leave-In Conditioner. I also love the ORS Monoi Oil Anti-Breakage Leave-In Conditioning Crème, the Soft & Beautiful Botanicals Ultra Nourishing Moisturizing Lotion and the IC Shea Butter Deep Oil Moisturizer.
What’s really great about all of these products is that they can all be used regardless of the state or texture of your hair. For more about my hair, head over to my YouTube channel where I regularly share my natural hair routine.
alice
xo
