My Current Regimen

I found it extremely important at the beginning of my HHJ to be observant of all my hair’s parameters. Things like how much do I usually shed, how much breakage am I experiencing, do I have issues with dryness/stiffness/mushy hair, what areas of my hair are struggling, etc. Once I tuned in to these criteria, I was able to see changes in them with product choice and technique. I did not have to wait until my next relaxer to see if things were changing.

When building my initial regimen, I considered a few things.

    • How does my hair feels wet/dry.
      • How does it feel after shampooing? Conditioning?
      • How does my hair feel after blow-drying? Air-drying?
    • Based on my observations, what do I feel like my hair needs? (i.e. moisture, protein, more/less cleansing, is it tangled, etc.)
    • What is my baseline loss (breakage+shedding=loss)?
      • How much loss am I experiencing daily? Through my washing process?
      • Are there any areas of my routine where I feel I am experiencing more loss than others?
      • I usually look at this as one thing. but some people look at these separately.
    • What differences would I like to see in my hair?
      • Better hair health and increased length are goals for most people, but specifically what else do you want?
      • Ex. Fewer split ends, softness, curl definition (just an example, I am texlaxed, so I don’t really have a curl pattern), slow breakage in challenge area, etc.
    • What are my styling goals? (What’s the point of nurturing your hair, if you can’t have some fun?)
So to start off, I’ll tell you a little about the current state of my hair. My hair runs on the very dry side.  I get dandruff if I go more than 10 days without washing my hair.  My hair tangles really badly if the shampoo I use is too stripping. Pictured below is my average loss (shedding/breakage) at the beginning of my HHJ and now. *sidenote- I have like a million pics of my hairballs in my cell phone. It makes for interesting discussion when friends scroll through my pics* No heat, low heat styles and low manipulation are things my hair loves.

 

My current basic wash day regimen looks something like this.

Shampoo

  • L’Oreal EverCréme  Intense Nourishing or
  • Crème of Nature Detangling & Conditioning Shampoo

Deep Condition- I use a mix or conditioners

  • Generic Value Products(GVP) Reconstructing Conditioner (I have used the Joico K-Pak Reconstructor and I think my results are comparable)- Light Protein
  • L’Oreal Nature’s Therapy Mega Moisture Crème
  • Kerapro Restorative Intense Treatment or
  • Victoria’s Secret So Sexy Nourish Healthy & Hydrated Moisture Mask

Leave-Ins

  • ApHogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer
  • KeraCare Leave-In
  • GVP Smoothing Serum (I have used Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum and the results are comparable)
  • Kerapro Restorative Anti- Frizz Elixir (if blow drying or flat ironing)

Now that I have a good list of products, I am always in search of the next best thing. What can I say? I am definitely a ‘Shopaholic’. However, I am very discerning about what actually makes it into my list of mainstays.

What considerations shaped your initial hair regimen? What things have you found that your hair absolutely hates/loves? How do you track your loss?