A's Hair Care Routine

Routine has been modified- Will be updating with changes soon.

If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to email me: beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com


This post is still a work in progress.

Weekly Washing & Detangling:

• Shampoo scalp 1x per week with sulfate free shampoo. I shampoo her scalp 1x per week whether she has her hair out and free, or if she has a style in. I only add shampoo to her scalp and massage with the balls of my fingertips. Lately I have been using Bee Mine Shampoo, but I use other sulfate free shampoos from time to time. I'm not very picky when it comes to shampoo! As long as it's moisturizing and sulfate free.
• After shampooing, rinse hair and scalp well, then immediately apply moisturizing conditioner to hair. I usually use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner. I say immediately after rinsing because her hair soaks up water pretty quickly so I want to apply the conditioner on soaking wet hair. Leave conditioner sit for 5-15 minutes (with or without plastic cap) while she plays then do a quick, light water rinse over the hair and begin detangling.
• I start parting (with my fingers) a small section of hair straight across in the back, then tie the rest of the hair off to get it out of my way. The first step in detangling is finger detangling. I finger comb her hair, gently removing all knots and tangles. I smooth my fingers over sections of her hair, if they feel "lumpy" I will focus on that section and gently pull apart the strands of hair. If the strands of hair (or knots/tangles) are not coming apart easily I will rewet the section, add some more conditioner, and gently try to work my way through it. I do not snap the hair apart, which causes breakage. After I finger detangle that section, I comb through with a wide tooth comb, at this point the comb should easily glide through her hair. I then twist or braid (if I have the time) so it doesn't tangle back up and move on to the next section. I usually have about 6 sections total.
• I (usually) rinse the conditioner out (with a large cup) while her hair is braided/twisted in 6 sections. Once again, I do this so her hair doesn't tangle back up. I gently squeeze the braids/twists to remove any excess water or conditioner. If I didn't have time to braid/twist each section then I just rinse the conditioner out of her (detangled) hair as is. I do not towel dry her hair.

This is usually what her hair looks like after being washed and detangled:

• After she gets out of the bathtub we go to her room, I put on one of her favorite shows (Sprout or Noggin) and I begin to unravel one braid/twist at a time and apply a leave-in or moisturizer. We are currently using Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer. I apply about a quarter sized amount (or more) to each section, focusing on her ends. I comb through with a wide tooth comb and braid or band the section. Lately I have been banding. Since I usually wash her hair on Saturday, I like to braid/band it up after washing to stretch it out a bit for styling on Sunday. Banding works much better for us than braiding/twisting each section, it keeps the hair detangled so when I go to style we don't have any of those little "snags" or any knots/tangles, therefore no breakage. I make sure the ponytail holders are not too tight and I only use the Ouchless or No Damage ponytail holders. I find that the cloth covered Goody Ouchless ponytail holders work best. I usually band her hair in 3-6 sections, I leave 1-2 inches out of the bands on the bottom and I braid the ends.

What her banded hair usually looks like after washing and applying moisturizer:

• The entire washing, detangling, and banding process usually takes 40 minutes to 1 hour
• I try to cover her hair each night with a satin bonnet.

Styling:

• As previously stated, I usually wash her hair on Saturday, moisturize and band it after washing, then style it on Sunday.
• She usually has 3-4 styles per month.
• I remove all Ouchless bands from her hair, apply a little more Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer, finger detangle her hair again, then use a wide tooth comb or Modified Denman D3 Brush. I gently start from her ends, working my way up to her roots. Her hair must be stretched and well moisturized for "dry" detangling.
• Lately I only use Bee Mine Curly Butter to style her hair. Whether it's braids, twists, cornrows, buns, etc. Before using Curly Butter I used Unrefined Shea Butter mixed with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and a little Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel.
• Most of the time, I leave her styles in for at least 1 week. Cornrows and box braids can last us up to 2 weeks, box braids can last us sometimes close to three weeks.
• While she has a style in I am sure to moisturize her hair. I spray her styles daily or every other day with Bee Mine Juicy Spirtz and moisturize her ends with Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer or Bee Mine BeeLoved Hair & Scalp Moisturizer each night. I focus on her ends, edges, and nape area. Before using Bee Mine I used Giovanni Direct Leave-in and Unrefined Shea Butter mixed with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
• I make sure her styles are not too tight. No tight ponytails or braids, etc.
• If you do not know how to cornrow, please check out our Cornrowing for Beginners post.
• My current favorite product for defining her curls (when she wears her hair out) is Blended Cutie Down & Out Styles.

Accessorizing:

• I absolutely love to accessorize her hair! I do try to limit accessories though.
• When I use rubberbands or elastics I soak them in Extra Virgin Olive Oil or melted Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. If I do not have time to soak them I will quickly dip then in and use them like that.
• I am sure not to make any ponytails too tight and I also do not wrap the rubberbands around her ends (when she has beads or barrettes in) too many times, wrapping them a million times is unecssary.
• I try not to keep rubberbands in her hair for too long. Whether they were soaked in oil or not.
• Lately I have been using hair snaps on the ends to hold beads in place of rubberbands.
• I only use certain ponytail holders to band her hair, and I only use certain ponytail holders for ponytails, buns, puffs, etc. All ponytail holders are not created equal!
• Check out this post I submitted to CurlyNikki for more info on accessories and using them properly.

A's Swimming Routine:

• Rinse the hair with water before getting in the pool.
• Apply a light leave-in. Giovanni Direct Leave-in, a little Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, or Bee Mine Deja's Hair Milk. Focus the leave-in on her ends.
• Coat the hair with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
• If possible, put the hair up in a high ponytail or bun with ends tucked under.
• Braids and cornrows hold up very well in the water so try to incorporate those at least 2-3x per month during the Summer.
• Cowash (washing hair with conditioner only) with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner or Bee Mine Avocado Conditioner after swimming. Leave conditioner in for 15-30 minutes, sometimes longer, with a plastic cap. I will continue only shampooing 1x per week (see above regular routine) unless I feel it is necessary to shampoo more often. I will let you all know if anything changes.
• I am going to try to incorporate a deep conditioner (specifically made for deep conditioning) 1x per week. I will keep you all posted.
• Apply Bee Mine Luscious Moisturizer to hair after rinsing conditioner out, focusing on her ends.

If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to email me: beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com