My Curly Girl Hair Routine

Hey doll hey!!! How’s your day/night going? Great I hope. I’m doing pretty good, still working on my dresses and having a world of trouble installing the hidden zipper but I’ll get there.

I dyed my hair yesterday and thought it would be a great time to share my curly girl hair routine… so let’s jump right on in….

This year I finally embraced my curls. I said goodbye to heated tools (blow drier, flat iron and beach waver) and hello to my natural curls and I have never been more in love with my hair than I am at this very moment.

I always hated wearing my curls down because my hair was always so puffy and frizzy even with a crap ton of gel and mousse in it. I didn’t mind it so much in a high pony tale but I noticed I had more slit ends and ragged roots because of the pony tales.

And so my journey to hair that I could love began….

There were many trial and errors… for instance I was using the wrong kinds of oils (sealant oils such as Jojoba oil, Olaplex no 7 hair oil, almond oil, and black castor oil, sealant oils act as a barrier and not as a moisture magnet), so my hair (which use to be drier, hence the frizz) wasn’t able to get all the moister that my routine had to offer. The best way to think if an oil you want to test in your hair is if it can be used as a carrier oil than it’s a sealant and not a moister producing oil.

Another thing I was doing wrong was that I was plopping my hair (a method in which you pile all your hair on the top of your head and wrap it up so that it can dry without stretching your curls out too much and so that the hair retains the moisture instead of getting frizzy) with the wrong material. I was using a Turbie Twist (a micro fiber triangle shaped towel that you twist your hair up in) which was giving my hair so much static that it would frizz every time…

I switched to a Tee-Shirt Towel called Tee-Owel that I found on amazon.

I instantly loved the way my hair looked… for this towel did not twist the hair, but instead gathered all the hair loosely at the top of the head, giving better lift and volume and allowing the curls to form naturally rather than stretched out an in coils.

I also went through a period where I couldn’t find hair products that I liked enough to keep using… it took me about 4 months to finally find the cocktail of products that worked best for my hair type (I have a 3c curl type).

So without further ado… here is my carefully curated hair routine….

This first part of the routine I do when I dye my hair.

First: I have switched the dyes I use in my hair to Schwarzkopf Keratin Color the reason is simple, they have an amazing hair serum that you put in your hair BEFORE you color it is a spot on dupe for the Olaplex No 1 and an equally amazing deep conditioner that is comparable to the Olaplex No 2. I have found I loose less hair and my curl pattern has less deformity since switching to this hair color system. When I use any other box dye my curls tend to have no definitive pattern and I have spots of straight and super coily hair through the hair shaft. I don’t get this disruption of pattern using the keratin color by Schwarzkopf.

Second: Once a month (and anytime I dye my hair)I will use the Olaplex Bond Smoother ($28 for 3.3 oz/ 100 mL of product at Sephora). After washing the dye from hair (or on the last day of the month) I will wring as much water from my hair as I can and then go in with about a silver dollar sized amount (about 40 mm sized dollop). I then comb through my hair with my wet brush and pop a disposable shower cap on and leave it to rest for 1 hour.

Third: I rinse the Olaplex out of my hair and leave my hair super wet as I apply Camille Rose Moroccan Pear Conditioning Custard ($11.99 for 355 ml /12 fl oz at Ulta), which has Moroccan Pear and Cherry Kernel Oil in it and smells Devine, as my deep conditioner and I again comb that through my hair with my wet brush and then I pop on the same disposable shower cap (just inside out) and leave my hair to soak up all that yummy scented goodness for 1 1/2 hours.

Fourth: I rinse out the deep conditioner and than pass through my soaked hair with my Denman D4 styling brush (21.95 on their website) to make sure each strand of hair is separated.

Fifth: On soaking wet hair I apply the Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk ($14.99 for 240 ml /8 fl oz at Ulta), which has Rice Milk and Macadamia Oil (which is one of the few sealant oils that actually allows moisture to penetrate the hair) about the size of a chocolate chip cookie, as my leave in conditioner and I comb it through with the Denman brush.

Sixth: Directly after the leave in I apply about 2 silver dollar’s worth of Camille Rose Curl Maker ($21.99 for 355 ml / 12 fl oz at Ulta), which has Marshmallow & Agave Leaf Extract in it, as my hair gel. I scrunch this into my hair and then lightly brush the hair with my Denman again.

Seventh: I will spritz my hair with plain clear water and then move on to the Camille Rose Aloe Whipped Butter Gel ($15.99 for 240 ml / 8 fl oz at Ulta), which has Aloe Vera & Macadamia oil in it, as my styling cream and I use about a chocolate chip cookie sized amount and I run this through my hair and brush it again with the Denman brush. I must say the full Camille Rose line smells heavenly.

Last Step: I use the Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curl Enhancing Mousse ($15.99 for 222 ml / 7.5 fl oz at Ulta) I use about 9 pumps and I scrunch it through the mid to end of the hair shaft and then rake my fingers through my hair.

At this point I spritz my hair with more clean plain water to make sure it’s super wet and then I then comb section by section my hair and scrunch and shake my hair before I plop it.

I usually keep my hair plopped like this for as long as possible whilst I’m doing my makeup or house work, I give it at least 4 to 5 hours in the plop and then I will let my hair air dry the rest of the way… If, like yesterday, I did my hair later than noon than I will leave it plopped and just put my silk lined beanie over top of it and tuck in for the night.

If I have done my hair routine early enough than I don’t use this bonnet to sleep in. This is actually the bonnet I use when I’m deep conditioning or plopping and need to run out to the shops for a bit. The only time I use this one to sleep in anymore is when my hair is still wet and I need to go to sleep.

Once or twice a week I will use what I call my super charged water bottle on my hair. It has plain clear water, 2 moisturizing oils and pure aloe in it…

I use about 1/4 cup of Seven Minerals’ Aloe Vera Gel ($19.95 for 355 ml / 12 fl oz on Amazon and at Walmart for $25). I out this into my spritzer bottle first… It’s pure aloe… the most important thing is to chose an aloe that is pure with no added ingredients such as Xanthan or carrier powders in them.

Pure aloe contains  proteolytic enzymes (enzymes that break down proteins) that helps repair the scalps dead skin cells and is also a great humectant that works drawing moisture from the air.

I use about 7 pumps of Majestic Pure Cosmeceuticals Cold Pressed 100% Avocado Oil ($14.98 for 473 ml / 16 fl oz on Amazon) which I pump straight into the bottle on top of the aloe.

The monosaturated fats found in avocado oil help the scalp produce healthier hair and helps dry hair begin to feel more supple. It’s also a great treatment for those with dandruff.

I then use about 7 to 10 pumps of Cliganic Cold Pressed 100% Moroccan Argan Oil ($13.99 120 ml / 4 fl oz on Amazon). I then fill the spritzer too the top with clear plain water and shake to combine. I use this combo 1 or 2 times a week to refresh my curls a bit (typically Wednesdays and Fridays).

Argan oil contains oleic acid and linoleic acid and is rich in vitamin E which helps boost shine and reduce fizziness all the while providing much needed moister.

This is how my hair looked this morning when I took it out of the overnight plop…. It’s a bit looser than my normal plopped hair because I didn’t take it out and let it air dry as I normally would and there are a few stands of hair that are not a curly as I like them to be, but that normally is the case for the first few days after I’ve dyed my hair… after all dyeing one’s hair is a harsh environment for curly hair…. and since I only do it may every 3 to 6 months I only have to deal with it for a short time.

Doing this routine allows me to #1 maintain the best curls that my hair has ever had #2 cut down on the time I have to spend on my hair since all I have to do is shake it out after taking off my sleep bonnet and #3 cuts down on the cost of hair products since I don’t wash and apply products everyday anymore.

I wash my hair 1 time a week (which helps me save spoons for the week) and refresh my hair 2 times a week.

Every Saturday I first clarify my hair with Pattern Clarifying Shampoo ($20 for 230.7 ml / 7.8 fl oz at Ulta), this is the curly girl’s brand that Tracee Ellis Ross created and out of every clarifying shampoo I’ve ever tried this is the first one not to stripe my hair of it’s precious moister.

I then use the Olaplex 3,4 and 5 system in my hair making sure to rinse the conditioner completely out of my hair before moving on to steps 3.

The only other thing I do now is once ever 3 months I snip the ends of my hair to keep the ends crisp and split end free.

Well… there you have it dolls… My journey to better hair… This routine not only makes me feel confidant but it also cuts down on the amount of energy it use to take me to do my hair and saves me so much money on products… I only use product once a week as a posed to daily so instead of purchasing all my hair products every week 1/2 I now purchase hair products 1 a month (if that, this past month I still had 1/2 a botte left of most of the products I had). Also to keep my hair from getting wet whilst showering I use a satin lined shower cap.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day/night and that you are in great spirits and health.

🥄 Remember… save a spoon for a bit of lipstick 🥄

NIta