Hair, Hair Products (Bought), Hair Products (DIY)

Now I Know My Hair…(cont’d)

Now where was I

So that miracle oil, coconut oil may not actually be a miracle for me with my low porosity follicles. Which is a great shame as I have about 14 jars on top of a cupboard in my house. Oops! So some say it is too heavy for my type of hair but I honestly say I am on the fence about it. I’ve had no ill effects using it, I quite like it, not just how it makes my hair feel but, and this may make me a bit of a freak, I like melting it in my hands. It’s quite therapeutic, that’s just me.

Now I’ve heard that you shouldn’t use it in cold weather because it can make your hair feel brittle and dry, the complete opposite of what I want. So I’ve come to the conclusion that I will work through my coconut oil mountain by using it as a pre-poo. The weather is getting pretty nippy out there now but heating the oil and wearing the plastic cap AND not going outside with it in my hair seems to be working. I’m definitely not going to get scared to try things that “people” say you shouldn’t use for this type of hair or that type of hair. Obviously I will take others experiences into account but not all hair is exactly the same and what works for some may not work for others. I will try to stay open to trying most things and I’m washing it out, so how bad could it be. I do have to say that pre-pooing still seems counter intuitive to me but I am seeing results and my hair is feeling good. Mainly though, I try not to be a wasteful person and that is a hell of a lot of coconut oil that needs using!

I have begun to worship at the altar of DIY Honey and Oil Deep Conditioner and I think it is mainly from the honey. Honey is a humectant. I love saying that because how many people do you know are aware of what that means? I didn’t and I freely admit it. I was completely ignorant. Now I’m trying to figure out what else I can put honey in apart from my mouth! So according to Wikipedia, and we all know how completely accurate that site is, a humectant attracts and retains moisture. Honey is your friend.

Another ingredient I have been conned persuaded into trying is shea butter. An excellent moisturiser, source of vitamin A and E and sworn to by the masses as an essential in your hair care routine. Some say it smells bad, my husband says it smells like tobacco. That is not what you want your hair to smell of. I seemingly have a high tolerance for smells because it smells ok to me as does Jamaican Black Castor Oil, another product/ingredient that get’s a bad rep for being a bit whiffy. I hope the type of shea butter I bought is ok to use as I got about a kilo. It’s not all for my hair, I’m not crazy, I’m trying my hand at some DIY beauty products so it won’t go to waste but I sure hope it’s a good buy. I would say it looks a bit funny, I’m not sure if I have the refined or unrefined version. I suspect it is unrefined because of the colour and the aroma. Again, like coconut oil, I like to break off a bit and rub it in my hands until it melts and use it as the C in my LOC (liquid, oil, cream) routine. I like how it melts but keeps its creamy texture. So far, I’m good with shea butter but we could easily fall out if I read the right/wrong article.

One of the other things that you will come across early in your healthy hair journey is talk of protein treatments. These strengthen your hair but for some it can make your hair brittle, weak and ultimately break off. I wasn’t sure if I needed protein treatments in my hair, I tried a DIY one once but it seems like I don’t or more accurately, I shouldn’t use them if I want to keep my hair staying soft. However, if I feel I am having a great amount of breakage going forward I may add this into my routine. The Palmer’s products I am using do have keratin in them, I don’t believe this is equivalent to a protein treatment just an added ingredient and selling point for the product. It is possible that if I remove this conditioner from my regimen my hair may feel even softer. For now I believe the moisturising properties outweigh any negatives but I will really consider this type of product during the next round of shampoos and conditioners I use and purchase.

Heat is your friend. I know that goes against a lot of what you will hear on your healthy hair journey but I’m not talking about heat from hair dryers or straighteners, I mean naturally occurring heat from wearing a plastic cap on your head and retaining the heat for my hair and not giving it to the atmosphere or the power of steam. I had heard that rinsing with cool water should not be for me, shame since I’ve been doing it for a few months. The theory is that cool water closes the cuticles, helping those with certain hair types to retain moisture but with low porosity hair, heat seems to be the key, getting and keeping those cuticles open allowing them to welcome in all that good stuff in the first place. The change to warm water rinsing is fine by me because I hate the cold (and so does my hair apparently).

I just hope my kids have the same type of hair needs as myself because I’m lazy and I don’t want to have to learn even more stuff!

So let’s keep growing.

xx Lee xx

Comments welcome below. Anything else you think I need to know? Share your knowledge!

Hey, why not follow this blog! There should be some follow buttons somewhere on this page if you’re in a browser or you can go to my subscribe page. Find Woeful To FroFull all over social media! And if you’re on WordPress, you know how it easy is! And if you’re into a bit of creative writing, come join me at Woeful Writes xx

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *