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http://thingsthatshouldbeontheinternet.blogspot.com/2015/07/all-natural-organic-hair-routine-for.html
Trust me when I say that I have bad hair.
When I was little, it would take me at least 30 minutes to put it into a pony tail - it was THAT frizzy. So, I turned to products and a flat iron. BIG MISTAKE! That was in sixth grade. By the beginning of seventh grade, I was balding and had a few gray hairs.
We all know that heat is bad for our hair. But here's the thing about those "frizz reducing" or "smoothing" products: they don't work. They're made from a lot of cheap, damaging products that are easy to apply to your hair, giving you the illusion that they are being absorbed. In reality, they just sit on top of your hair and provide a quick fix, all the while damaging your natural hair underneath. So in the long run, your hair just ends up more frizzy, dry, and damaged.
I stopped using products and heat at the beginning of seventh grade, and my hair slowly began to grow healthy again. Those gray hairs even started producing melanin again, and returned to their natural color. But the frizz was back.
So from the beginning of seventh grade to now, in my adult life, I've been doing an incredible amount of research on different natural products, their benefits, and how to take care of hair with a minimal amount of chemicals. And I've compiled a basic routine that has given me manageable, soft, healthy hair.
This routine has 5 parts: a hair mask, shampoo, a rinse with apple cider vinegar, conditioner, and a leave in conditioner.
Remember how I said that products made me lose my hair? That means that this routine involves NO products, with the exception of shampoo and conditioner.
So, let's just get into it.
1. Hair mask
Now, hair masks are under rated. These things can make the difference between dry, damaged hair, and healthy, nourished hair.
When you wash your hair, the shampoo strips it of it's natural oils. The hair mask builds up those oils beforehand, therefore leaving you with an ample amount of moisture after your shower. The hair mask not only moisturizes, but provides a ton of nutrients to your hair.
Hair masks can differ depending on your preferences. It's all trial and error. Possible ingredients include: avocado, honey, coconut/olive oil, coconut milk, shea butter, yogurt, eggs, mayonnaise, and banana. Note that the avocado and oil are most helpful for frizz.
Currently, I just use plain coconut oil.
I used to use 2 avocados, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 2 tablespoons of honey, but it didn't tame the frizz as much as plain coconut oil does.
Whatever mask you end up using, apply it to your hair from the roots to the tips, making sure all your hair is saturated. Put your hair in a shower cap and let it sit for at least two hours, but no longer than one night, before washing.
2. Shampoo
As I mentioned before, shampooing will strip your hair of it's natural oils, leaving you with dry, frizzy hair. I currently use Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo, which contains a lot of natural ingredients, and isn't too abrasive.
Because shampooing is harmful for the hair, I only wash my hair once a week. That one time a week, I shampoo 2-3 times to make sure that the mask, along with all the dirt and sweat build up from the week, is fully removed from my hair.
Do NOT wash your hair more than twice a week. You'll end up with extremely dry, damaged hair.
Focus on the scalp when you're washing your hair. You really want to get all the dirt and sweat out from underneath the hair, where it accumulates. Your actual hair isn't very dirty, so unless you have a mask in, there's no need to wash from root to tip. When you rinse your hair, the shampoo will come down and wash the rest of it. If you do have a mask in, only wash from root to tip ONCE, preferably during your last wash.
For better access to your scalp, flip your hair upside down and scrub. Flip your hair right side up to rinse, or you'll end up with shampoo in your eyes.
You shouldn't have to worry about dandruff because this is an extremely moisturizing and nourishing hair routine. However, different people have different skin and hair, and if you do start to get dandruff, switch to Jason's Normalizing Tea Tree Treatment Shampoo. It's one of the more organic, less abrasive dandruff shampoos.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
I swear by apple cider vinegar. You don't understand...the first time I used this stuff, my hair was so soft and had so much less frizz that I thought I was dreaming.
Mix equal parts apple cider vinegar and water. The amount you need depends on the amount of hair you have. I usually only need 1 cup of each (2 cups total).
After you finish rinsing your shampoo out of your hair (and make sure it's
completely gone), rinse your hair with this. Make sure it completely coats your hair, from your roots to your tips, and be careful not to get it in your eyes (it BURNS!!). Let it sit for 3-5 minutes before rinsing it out.
4. Conditioner
No matter what anyone says about your roots not needing conditioner, don't listen. When you shampoo, you focus on your scalp. So even though most of your natural oils build up at the scalp during the week, it's also the most deprived of natural oils at the end of your shower.
Spread your conditioner from root to tip and wait 3-5 minutes before washing it off with the coldest water your can stand. This will seal your cuticle, giving you more shine, less frizz, and less hair loss.
I use Organix Coconut Milk Conditioner. If you are using a dandruff shampoo, continue to use this conditioner, because dandruff related products are much harsher than more organic products, and you need a lot of moisture to make up for the abrasive shampoo.
5. Leave In Conditioner
There are many DIY leave in conditioners, and you can google for more. I'm going to give you the recipe for a moisturizing and frizz-easing leave in.
Mix 1 tablespoon of coconut oil with 1 cup of water. Whisk together and shake before every use.
Use only 3-5 sprays and comb through, or your hair will get greasy. You can detangle at the same time that you spray this on. Then, spray a small amount of your hands and scrunch as much as you can. Obviously, it won't hold very well, but it's better than nothing.
***UPDATE:
After using a little too much leave in last week, I was left with incredibly greasy, stringy hair. I had it up in a bun the entire week. I didn't want to take the chance of having that happen again, so I found a new recipe for a leave in conditioner.
Find a spray bottle. Fill it up a third of the way with 99% aloe vera gel, then fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake it up well, then add 1-2 drops of an essential oil of your choice, and reshake.
I personally didn't add any oil, just because I ran out, and it still worked great. There was a little frizz in the back, but that's just because I didn't scrunch much in the back. This will also hold scrunch a lot better than the coconut oil leave in.
Combing your hair: DON'T!
Seriously, all that shiny, smooth hair that you just worked so hard for is going to disappear as soon as you comb your hair. Straight hair will get frizzier and bushier, but it won't be too bad. But if you're like me, and have slightly wavy-curly hair, then combing through your curls will give you frizzy, bushy, straight hair.
When you get out of the shower, find your part, detangle, scrunch with the leave in conditioner, and leave your hair alone. Let it dry, and with this routine, you'll be able to wear it down. If you really need to tie it into a ponytail or braid, go for a messier one, where the top of your head isn't 100% smooth. Trust me, it's better to go with a messy ponytail or braid than to go with a bushy, frizzy ponytail or braid. At the very most, finger comb to detangle.
Styling:
A lot of people thing it's a good idea to tie your wet hair into a bun or braid for curls. Don't fall into this trap! Tying your hair up in any manner while it's wet, when your hair is most vulnerable to stretching and breakage, will just break and damage your hair.
Like I said before, the most you should do is scrunch your hair with the leave in conditioner. Other than that, styling will just damage your hair more.
***Update: If scrunching with the updated leave in will work a lot better than the coconut oil leave in. If you want even more hold, try taking a drop of pure 99% aloe vera gel, rubbing it between your hands, and scrunching with that. It will hold even better than the aloe vera leave in, but can weigh your hair down if you use too much.
Greasy hair:
Around day 3-4 of not washing your hair, it will start to get greasy. The annoying thing is, all that grease will accumulate at your scalp, but the rest of your hair will still be as frizzy and bushy as it was before.
If you have straight or natural hair, you can use a boar bristle brush on your hair, and comb from your roots to your tips. This will spread the natural oils from your scalp all over your hair. Not only will you have shinier, stronger, and less greasy hair, but it will also be less frizzy.
I, like I mentioned before, have curly-wavy hair, and this does NOT work for me. You have to use a boar bristle brush when your hair is dry, or it will break it. So when I comb through my curly dry hair, my hair turns straight, frizzy and bushy. For people with straight or natural hair, the shape of their hair isn't changed, so the frizz isn't too bad (especially with the added natural oils from the scalp).
Time:
How long will it take to do this all? I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but it usually only takes me two hours. I make the hair mask (10 minutes), apply it (10 minutes), wait for at least two hours, which I don't count because I can do other things, then shower. The shower takes about 30 minutes to shampoo because I do so 2-3 times, then 5 minutes for the apple cider vinegar, and another 10 minutes for the conditioner. Add in about 10 minutes to wash my body, and there's about 55 minutes in the shower. I need another 5 minutes to detangle and scrunch, and then I'm done. This is a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes, but I only do this once a week, so it's really not too bad.
And that's it! Congratulations if you had the patience to sit through that long post. :) Comment below if any/all of this helped you, if your hair is improving, and if you have any of your own suggestions to add.
