www.hairfinity.com was the site I used for research in the very beginning of my hair journey. It can be overwhelming when you enter the hair journey game and this site got me on track on exactly what I needed to know and do to start. Hairfinity is basically a site that promotes hair vitamins, but they have tons of great info on hair care, hair regimens and products. I actually take their hair vitamins and I must say within a month's time of taking them I saw improvements with growth. The vitamins are packed with everything your hair needs to maintain healthy hair. Of course, a good regimen, healthy diet and the vitamin gives you the maximum potential to have healthy hair. Other good vitamins for healthy hair are Biotin, B-Vitamins, Prenatal Vitamins, Geritol.
Another plus about this site is they have a custom hair regimen survey, so if you are just starting out on your hair journey and need some help with figuring out what your hair needs for starters. Simply, take the custom hair regimen on the hairfinity site. You answer a few quick questions about the condition of your hair and the products you are using. It will process your answers and send you a recommended hair regimen and a list products directly to your email. By doing this survey was how I was able to create my regimen.
So if you need some ideas on how to build a good regimen for your hair these are some basic steps that you can help get you going to faster growing, healthier hair.
Pre-Washing
Pre-wash weekly with a good oil product. Organic Virgin Coconut oil is the best pre-shampoo because it actually penetrates the hair, unlike most oils which only coat the hair. You can use this oil like a hot oil treatment, covering with a plastic cap for 30 minutes without heat (or 15 minutes with heat). Then continue to wash hair with a gentle shampoo.
Washing
Wash weekly with a gentle shampoo. Only wash and rinse once. Over washing can cause a dry condition, which will ultimately lead to breakage. While washing, massage your scalp. This will reawaken sleeping follicles and promote thicker healthier hair.
Conditioning
You need two types of conditioners: one for protein, and the other for moisture and sealing. Or, alternatively you can have only one conditioner, and add an egg when you want to do a protein treatment. You must do deep conditioning with both separately. First, apply the protein treatment. After allowing the recommended elapsed time and following the manufacturer’s instructions, rinse your hair. Second, apply the moisture treatment following the instructions and rinse. If you have done a pre-shampoo treatment, you may not need to deep condition with the moisture. Instead, you can leave in for about 5-10 minutes to seal the cuticle.
Applying the protein treatment:
The best way to apply the protein treatment is with an applicator brush. You must apply the treatment to the entire hair shaft from roots to ends. Pay attention to the ends, so they will not be left untreated. Cover your head with a plastic cap. If you are using an egg treatment, you should not apply heat. Leave in hair for 60 minutes, covered. Then rinse, shampoo, and condition as ususal. If you are using a protein product , and apply heat with a hooded dryer (medium heat) for 15 minutes. Do not use a blow dryer.
Applying the moisture treatment:
Like the protein treatment, the moisture treatment should be applied with an applicator brush paying close attention to the ends. Cover with a plastic cap and apply heat with a hooded dryer (medium heat) for 15 minutes. Once again, do not try to substitute the hooded dryer with a blow dryer. It will not have the same effect. If you have done a pre-shampoo treatment, you can skip the moisture treatment. In this case, you would apply your conditioner and leave for 5-10 minutes, then rinse.
Relaxing
Now this is where all of your washing and conditioning treatments can either pay off or be sabotaged by damage. First of all, do not relax your hair more than once a month. Be careful not to relax hair “bone straight.” This robs the hair of its natural elasticity and causes it to break easily. Assess your hair before attempting to relax it. It may only need to be washed, moisturized, and straightened with a heat tool. If you must relax it, choose a mild relaxer.
Applying the relaxer:
It is best to have someone else apply the relaxer because they have a full view of your head. Before you begin, rub a generous amount of scalp protectant in your hands and apply to the entire hair shaft. Petroleum jelly can be used. Pay close attention to the ends of your hair when applying the protectant. This is to protect hair that has already been processed. Next, apply the relaxer using the manufacturer’s directions. Follow the timing chart so you do not over process your hair. Be sure to wash out all of the relaxer with warm water. Apply a neutralizing shampoo and wash and rinse at least three times. If there are still traces of relaxer in your hair, continue to ash until all traces have been removed. Once all traces of relaxer have been removed, apply the neutralizing shampoo to the hair again. Leave the neutralizer in for 10 minutes. It is very important that you leave the neutralizer in for 10 minutes. Do not skip this step. Next, the neutralizer can be rinsed. Now you can apply the protein treatment, and then follow with the moisture treatment as previously discussed.
Daily Maintenance
Your hair needs to be moisturized daily. You will need two different types of moisturizers: water based and oil based.
Water Based Moisturizer penetrates the hair shaft, oil based moisturizer coats the hair shaft (and seals moisture in or out). To use the two effectively, you will need to apply your water based moisturizer first, then the oil based. The reason for this is that oils and other moisturizing products that contain petrolatum, lanolin, and mineral oil do not moisturize your hair effectively. Instead they seal moisture in or out of your hair. They should only be used to seal the hair and add shine. Try appling your oil moisturizer after rinsing the moisture treatment to combat dryness.
Also, to help with dryness, you need a penetrating moisturizer. The only oil that penetrates the hair shaft is coconut oil. Other oils only coat it. You can use virgin coconut oil as a daily moisturizer or a water based moisturizer. Some examples of water based moisturizers are:
Organic Root Stimulator Carrot Oil
Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave-in
Profectiv Anti-Tangle Leave-in
Profectiv Mega Growth
Cantu Shea Butter Grow Strong
Elasta QP Mango Butter
Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in
Use a light oil moisturizer following the application of these water based moisturizer to seal moisture in the shaft.
Hot curling:
Make sure your hair is properly moisturized before hot curling or using any heat tools. If it sounds like you are scraping your hair when you pull the iron down your hair shaft, then it is too dry. The iron should glide down the hair, and curls should be defined without using spritz or hairspray. Do apply spritz to hair before using heat tools because it will dry hair out and cause breakage. Curl hair section by section and leave curls undisturbed. Then spray a light finishing spray all over (lightly). Still, leave the curls undisturbed for at least five minutes, then style.
Braids, weaves, etc.:
False braids, waves, and even wigs can cause hair breakage. The chemicals used to make the hair can cause damage to your hair. Your hair rejects foreign substances much like every other part of your body. Also, the products will sometimes cause you to neglect your own hair and the dry condition will lead to more breakage. If you are going to war a wig for a special occasion, make sure that you moisturize your hair first, wrap it, and put on a wig cap. However, wearing wigs daily is not recommended.
Weaves not only break your hair because of the chemicals in the false hair mixing with your own hair, but he glue used to apply then pull your hair from the roots. It cannot be emphasized enough that these products will damage your hair, so steer clear of these.
Products
1. Essentious Shampoo, Mizani Botanifying Shampoo, or any shampoo that does not contain harsh sulfates (Gentle Shampoo)
2. Essentious Protein Treatment, Any regular conditioner with an egg added, Mizani Kerafuse Intensive Strengthening Treatment (Protein Treatment)
3. Essentious Moisture Treatment, Mizani Moisturefuse Moisturizing Conditioner, or Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (Moisturizing Treatment)
3. Organic, Virgin Coconut Oil (Pre-shampoo Treatment)
4. Mizani Phormula-7 Neutralizing / Chelating Shampoo (Neutralizer)
5. DOO GRO Stimulating Growth Oil ( Oil Based Moisturizer)
6. Organic Root Stimulator Carrot Oil (Water Based Moisturizer)
How to Grow Black Hair Its Longest
First of all, your hair care regimen should be as "hair friendly" as possible. That means you should be following the steps outlined above to minimize breakage. Second, you should increase your anagen (growth phase) which will allow you hair to grow much longer before it enters the resting and shedding phases. One way to do this is to incorporate vitamins for hair growth in your diet. (Another way to do this is to become pregnant. While a woman is pregnant, all of her hair is locked in the growth phase. That is why a woman's hair will grow thicker and longer while she is pregnant.) Third, you need to address any hair problems that could be limiting your hair growth. A Microscopic Hair Analysis can address problems that would otherwise be overlooked.
Hope this was helpful!
