My Monthly Routine

Remoisturizing

Here's how I remoisturize my hair throughout the month, and the products I use to do it.

Here are the two products I use to remoisturize my hair.

• Left: hydrating hair butter (moisturizer, from She's Made).

  Consistency: thick/dense (white color, on the left)

• Right: vanilla cream custard (styler, Curls Dynasty).

  Consistency: a lighter cream (light pink, on the right)

Remoisturization Product References

Scalp Care

How I use them:

• Bristle brush: I brush horizontally, from scalp towards the center of each twist, following the parts I made.

• Herbal spray & rose water: spray along the scalp

• Scalp serum: place drops along scalp, especially on edges, massage in

Note: I don’t use each of these products every time. These are my options. Sometimes (at nights), I’ll just spray my scalp with the herbal spray, or use the scalp serum. If I feel like it, or want my roots to look neater, I’ll use the brush along all the twists, or at least on the front twists. I use the setting foam only as needed, which isn’t often.

Scalp Care Products, from left to right:

• Fortify'd Naturals Growth Sensation (scalp serum, oil-free)

• Heritage Store rose water

• Brina Organics herbal spray (saw palmetto & sea moss)

• Tiny bristle brush (amazon 'teasing brush')

Scalp Care Product References

I spray my scalp, tie my head with my scarf, and go to bed.

If it’s time to remoisturize my hair, then I’ll do the scalp spray + the moisturizer and styler. I just press the products into my hair, over the twists.

And, if I have time, I’ll either

1) untuck the ends, to reach them, or

2) unravel them entirely, remoisturize them, and then wrap them back up.

But unwrapping each one is time-consuming, so I don’t do that often. Only if I feel I need to, or want to check on them. I usually just apply the product on the ends while they’re still wrapped up.

I hope this diagram makes things a bit clearer. (I'm a visual learner, can you tell?)

None of this is set in stone. I try to remoisturize my hair twice a week. The rest (scalp, brushing) is as needed.

Night Routine (includes remoisturizing & scalp care):

Product References (Extras)

From left to right:

• Mint Condition Spray (Camille Rose)

• Intense Moisture & Strengthening Leave-in Conditioner (Taliah Waajid)

• Apple & Aloe Leave-in Conditioner (long-time favorite)

These are all moisturizers, so I'm just using up them up until they're done.

Note: These products are super light, so they don't do much for my hair on their own. I prefer to use a hair cream since 1) I don't need to follow up with a sealant, and 2) it matches the thickness of my hair. The light products basically evaporate after I apply them, even if I use them often. There's nothing wrong with them, but I wouldn't miss them, since I found something that works better (the 'hydrating hair butter'), and replaces the need for a separate sealant. I love the Apple&Aloe leave-in (and I used to seal it with grease). I just don't need to use it anymore.

Wash Time (Monthly)

1. I use the detangler and the herbal spray to help me remove shed hair before washing my hair. Edit: now I use just African Pride Pre-Shampoo.

   1. I put my hair in big twists, keeping the same parts I used to style my hair. If it’s a big section, I split it horizontally into two twists. I’ll have about 8-10 twists on my head.

2. I wet my hair under the shower for a few minutes, to help remove the products and buildup. Then I apply the shampoo to my scalp and scrub with my fingers, in the direction of the twists, towards the roots.

3. After rinsing out shampoo, I apply the moisture masque and then the protein treatment (just a tiny bit) on top. I use them at the same time so that the protein has a good base of moisture first. The protein treatment itself also contains moisturizers, but since I can’t use it on its own, I use them together so they balance each other out, in a way.

   1. I brush through my hair again, if needed.

4. After rinsing out the treatments, I press the water out the twists using a microfiber towel. (My mom got me one long ago, so it’s all I’ve used since then. I haven’t tried drying with a regular towel.) Then I let my hair air dry and leave it in twists, un-moisturized, overnight.

5. The next day/night(s), I remoisturize my hair and style it in flat twists.

Wash Day Product References

• detangling brush (denman d38 power paddle), flexible bristles, gentle on hair

• detox shampoo (Enrichure

• moisture masque (Enrichure)

• protein treatment (Enrichure)

• detangler (Aunt Jackie's Knot On My Watch). Edit: African Pride Pre-Shampoo

I have three sections for my hair needs: scalp care, remoisturizing (same products for styling), and wash time. If you look back over the tables, you’ll notice I have multiple products in the same category. For example, I have 2 products listed as ‘stylers’ : the setting foam, and the styling cream (vanilla custard). So when I run out of styling cream, I can use the foam instead, and see if it works with the hair butter. That way, I won’t need to go buy the styling cream again. I promised myself to use up what I have instead of buying new products. That way, I can save money and reduce the number of products I’m carrying around or choosing from.

If you’re also looking to reduce the number of products you have, you can sort yours, too! And then when you finish a product, try using another one from the same category.

Benefits of Categorizing Your Products

Thank you for reading.

See you next time!