Tip #1: Bang Control
Are your bangs too short to rest on your forehead? Pin them at the roots with bobby pins or hair clip. It will hold them nicely.
This is also helpful if your hair is kinky because this type of hair tends to grow out instead of down.
For example, my bangs are way past my chin when straightened, but because my hair is pretty cottony, they don’t lay down in their natural state (especially if it’s hot and humid).
Got this tip from my little cuz of MyNaturalReality.com. (Thanks, Tiff!)
Tip #2: Scarf it Down
Some cloth headbands are now made to fan out at the top and get narrow on the opposite end. The narrow end is made to wear on the back of your head, and the wider end goes on top.
One of my readers in my Kinky Curly wash and go post (shout out to Catherine) gave me the idea to reverse the headband.
Now I often wear the fanned end in the back and the narrow part on top. It gives the illusion that you’ve tied a scarf around the back (especially with the headbands that really fan out.)
I have a hard time finding these, but I get most of them from CVS or Target.
Tip #3: Refresh & Fluff
Puffs (created with wash and go’s or old twist outs) are becoming my go-to, lazy style.
If I want to refresh my natural curls (after shrinkage overnight), I’ll just spritz the puff with water and finger through a curling cream like one of Miss Jessie’s products (Curly Meringue and Stretch Silkening Cream work the best because they are light).
Once your hair dries, your curls will clump together and soften up. Now you can fluff and go!
If you’re not into the afro look and prefer more defined curls, you can use gel or a curling custard instead. It will give you more sheen and definition as shown below…
Tip #4: Fake it To Make It
Is your hair too short on the sides to make a ponytail? Just create two giant flat twists on each side and make them go all the way back to where the ponytail starts. I did this a lot when transitioning for a quick and easy style.
As I trimmed the relaxed ends and my hair continued to grow, it was getting harder to get a ponytail. So this technique helped me accomplish that goal.
Tip #5: “Don’t Be Strippin”
Does your hair feel stripped (a.k.a. dry) even after using a non-sulfate shampoo?
When washing your hair, try applying a rinse-out conditioner to your hair before rinsing out the shampoo. It will add more moisture and really makes a difference in how your hair feels afterwards. (Thanks Kimmaytube!)
Tip #6: Wasteful Washings
Washing your hair in sections saves on oodles of shampoo (especially as you gain more length) Why? Because when you are working with smaller sections, you naturally use less shampoo and realize not much is needed to create a lather.
When you wash your hair all at once, you use more product because you really don’t know how much you need to create that lather.
I realize lather is not needed for hair to be considered clean and some say it even strips the hair too much, but sorry, I gotta have it in my life. Not a fan of the lather-free shampoos. It’s a psychological thing, for sure. Don’t judge me. 😉
You can also save by focusing the shampoo on the scalp only. No need to lather your ends because the shampoo will run down the hair anyway.
My Kinky Curly Come Clean bottle is only 8 ounces, but lasts me at least 12 shampoos. I only use a quarter-sized dollop per section. Prior to realizing how much shampoo I was wasting, I could only get maybe 7 or 8 uses. That makes a big difference if you think about cost.
I guarantee when you start paying attention to how much shampoo you use vs. what you really need, you will discover you can save a lot by using far less.
Tip # 7: Honey, Please!
If you want to lighten your hair color naturally, add a teaspoon or two of honey to your pre-poo routine. It doesn’t take much to notice a difference.
And here’s another benefit. Honey is a humectant and will draw moisture from the air into your hair. However, in the winter, it does the opposite and robs moisture from your hair, so be mindful of that.
Pre-pooing moisturizes and strengthens your hair before shampooing. For my pre-poo routine I use olive oil, a cheap, rinse-out conditioner like Suave Naturals or any conditioner that says “moisturizing” on the label.
You can see its effect on my hair in this twist out from last year.
It is definitely a temporary result. If you don’t keep using it, your color will fade pretty quickly.
Tip #8: Slouch it Out
No doubt you’ve been in that position where you needed to run somewhere but your hair wasn’t styled. Or maybe it’s one of those days when you feel like being lazy.
We’ve all been there.
No worries. You can flat twist the sides of your hair and tuck the rest into a slouch hat. I was notorious for doing this when I was transitioning and learning how to style my hair. I’d get frustrated and throw on a hat in a New York minute!
And now that cooler weather is upon us, it’s time to rack up on all the cute hats you can find! Amazon has a nice selection.
These are some very good tips!! I have 4c type hair and I wash it often, like once a week but sometimes it just feels really dry. do you have any tips or product that would work?
Le Pre-Shampoo est un traitement placé sur les cheveux avant le shampooing. Les cheveux de type 4 sont très sec, appliquer un avant-shampooing leurs sont donc très bénéfique. Le traitement va former une barrière protectrice sur la cuticule, garder les cheveux doux et favoriser la pénétration du produit.
Soak your hair with water and let it completely saturate your strands. Now you have a choice. You can choose to shampoo/cleanse your whole head at once keeping the sections in and working on the scalp only with the balls of your fingers. If you do this then it’s best to dilute your shampoo/conditioner so it penetrates all the strands easier. When finished rinse off the remaining cleanser. Or you can choose to work one section at a time. Take one section of your hair and undo the twist or braid. Apply a small amount of shampoo or conditioner to the section and work it in slowly. DO NOT vigorously rub your hair. This will seriously matt it and then you’ll be in trouble. Smooth your hands down your hair to get a lather or to distribute the conditioner and with one hand hold the section securely and with the other rub your scalp to lift off the dirt and product build-up. This stops the hair from shrinking on itself whilst loose.
I am 13 year old .when 1 year ago my hair was straight but now a days some hairs of front becime curl and it looks so bad but after washing i make my hair straight by doing many things but when hair come in touch of water it beca,e curly please help me ,shoul i have to cut all my hair
I became curious about whether any other HHJ ladies repeat when shampooing. In a lot of my favorite blogs that I follow the wash day posts usually say “shampooed with ____” then moves on to the next part of the wash whether it be tea rinsing or deep conditioning. Even I do this when typing up my wash day post. But I always wonder “did you repeat the shampoo process”. I will admit that I am a lather, rinse, repeat, shampooer. I always have been and I guess it’s just a habit. Some seem to think it’s a marketing ploy to get you to spend more money on hair products as mentioned in this post here . The more you use, the more you buy right? This could be true, but in my opinion I do think it’s beneficial in that I feel my scalp has been thoroughly cleaned; and we all know a healthy scalp means healthy hair. I usually put more focus on my scalp when washing anyway. And since I don’t scrub my hair it shouldn’t hurt to do a second lather and allow my tresses to be gently cleansed as I rinse. I don’t think I’ve experienced any ill effects from repeating the shampoo. So I don’t see any issue with the old “lather, rinse, repeat” routine, especially if you’re using a moisturizing/conditioning shampoo. Sometimes if I use a sulfate shampoo or clarifying shampoo I will follow up with a moisturizing shampoo, which should help with moisture retention. I guess it just depends on the individual and how often you wash. Maybe if you’re someone that washes every day, you will lather once. If you wash every week or two you may feel like you need a more thorough wash. If your hair is natural, you are definitely more concerned about moisture so maybe when you shampoo/clarify you only lather once. So what do you guys think about the shampoo process? Do you lather, rinse, then repeat?
The way you shampoo is completely up to you. When using an oil or cream conditioner as pre poo, typically I let water run to dampen my hair and then add shampoo. I don’t necessarily make it a point to completely rinse the pre poo before adding shampoo.
The way you shampoo is completely up to you. When using an oil or cream conditioner as pre poo, typically I let water run to dampen my hair and then add shampoo. I don’t necessarily make it a point to completely rinse the pre poo before adding shampoo.
My hair is fine like cat hair I’ve gone most of the year without a relaxer but without a style It flops everywhere. what kind of style and treatment do you suggest?
Hi J Jones
Has your natural texture always been like that or has it changed since you stopped relaxing?
You know so much. Im about to go through the transitioning stages. These tips are extra helpful. Stay blessed.
Great tips!! I especially like the one about the headband I’ll be using that one for sure. Thanks for sharing (^_^)