Creating Your Regimen for the GOC

Hola Chicas!

I’ve initiated and participated in many a natural hair challenge over the years. I’ve bunned, baggied, deep treated 2x a week, hell, I even did nightly scalp massages. I learned that no two heads are the same, and identical regimens may not produce similar results for everybody. There is one thing, however, that yields stellar results much of the time… consistency! Yep, all you have to do is develop a routine and product combo that works for you, and stick to it. That is the corner stone of our challenge. Be consistent!

With that said, later today or tomorrow, I’ll share my tweaked regimen for the GOC. I’m kicking it off with a trim and I suggest y’all do the same! It’ll make detangling and styling easier, and also help you to maintain the length you gain.

Below, I compiled some sample reggies (from past Hair Idols) that you can build on. Tweak them as you see fit- -more frequent washing if you’re a gym curly, less washing if your hair doesn’t like the manipulation. For product recommendations, see here.

Happy growin’!

Nik

Dry Bunnin’ (for those who ends knot up when wet bunning)

• Wash your hair bi-weekly with a low sulfate or moisturizing shampoo
• Rinse and apply an instant conditioner as you gently detangle (fingers first, then with a wide tooth comb, modified denman, or Tangle Teezer)
• Follow up with a moisturizing deep treatment with heat
• Rinse thoroughly and generously apply your leave-in conditioner
• Place your hair in chunky twists or braids to stretch it out
• Seal your ends with an oil (castor, shea butter, olive oil, etc.)
• Allow to dry over night
• Remove twists, and using a Goody Ouchless Scrunchy, place hair into a loose, secure bun (high, low, to the side, messy… do you!), being mindful of your edges.
• At night, you can either (1) remove the bun, moisturize, and twist the hair, (2) loosen the bun, apply pomade to edges, and tie with a scarf, or (3) remove the bun, moisturize, re-bun, apply pomade to your edges, and tie down with a scarf.

Wet Bunnin’

• Wash your hair weekly with a low sulfate, moisturizing shampoo, or co-wash
• Rinse and apply instant conditioner as you gently detangle (fingers first, then with a wide tooth comb, modified denman, or Tangle Teezer)
• Follow up with a moisturizing deep treatment with heat
• Rinse, and generously apply a leave-in conditioner in a raking motion to encourage curl definition and clumpage
• Seal your ends with an oil (castor, shea butter, olive oil, etc.)
• Pull hair into a high, loose yet secure bun using a Goody Ouchless Scrunchy, being careful not to stress your edges
• Smooth your edges with product of choice and your fingers
• Tie on a silk scarf for 10-30 minutes to help set your edges
• At night, you can either (1) remove the bun, moisturize, and twist the hair, (2) loosen the bun, apply pomade to edges, and tie with a scarf, or (3) remove the bun, moisturize, re-bun, apply pomade to your edges, and tie down with a scarf.

**Whether wet or dry bunning, you can always take your hair down and execute a gorgeous dry twist or braid- out for a special occasion or when you grow bored.
**To smooth your edges sans brush and gel, click here.

Twists/Box Braid Routine

• Wash your hair bi-weekly with a low sulfate, moisturizing shampoo, or co-wash
• Rinse and apply instant conditioner as you gently detangle (fingers first, then with a wide tooth comb, modified denman, or Tangle Teezer)
• Follow up with a moisturizing deep treatment with heat
• Rinse, and generously apply a leave-in conditioner as you twist your hair. You may choose to use a styler to help hold the twists (a non drying gel, or curl creme)
• Twirl the end of the twist around your finger to encourage the curl and to keep it from unraveling.
• Seal your ends with an oil (castor, shea butter, olive oil, etc.)
• Allow to dry
• You can let them hang free or style in a protective updo
• At night, apply moisturizer as needed and seal. Re-twist/braid any frizzy ones. Sleep with your twists/braids secured under a satin bonnet.
• Some folks even rinse/co-wash in the twists or braids

Wash & Go

• As often as necessary, wash your hair with a low sulfate, moisturizing shampoo, or cowash
• Rinse and apply instant conditioner as you gently detangle (fingers first, then with a wide tooth comb, modified denman, or Tangle Teezer)
• Follow up with a moisturizing deep treatment with heat
• Rinse, and generously apply a moisturizing leave-in conditioner and styler of choice in sections, using a raking motion to encourage definition (you may choose to leave in your rinse-out conditioner)
• Seal your ends with an oil (castor, shea butter, olive oil, etc.)
• Allow your hair to air-dry, or gently diffuse if you’re in a hurry
• At night, apply moisturizer as needed and either (1) pineapple, (2) gently twist, or (3) don a bonnet.

Twist-out/Braid-out

• Wash your hair weekly with a low sulfate, moisturizing shampoo, or co-wash
• Rinse and apply instant conditioner as you gently detangle
• Follow up with a moisturizing deep treatment with heat
• Rinse, allow to dry for 15 minutes (or until just damp) and generously apply a leave-in conditioner as you twist or braid your hair. You may choose to use a styler to help hold the twists (a non drying gel, or curl creme)
• Twirl the end of the twist around your finger to encourage the curl and to keep it from unraveling (you can also secure each end with a roller)
• Seal your ends with an oil (castor, shea butter, olive oil, etc.)
• Allow to air dry overnight
• Carefully release the twists from the bottom up, fluff, and style
• At night, apply moisturizer as needed and either (1)pineapple, (2) gently twist, or (3) don a bonnet.

Also, remember Danielle’s tips from last week:

With creating a regimen comes a bit of experimentation with products, techniques and timing. Some things to consider:

• How often will I wash/condition/moisturize?
• How often will I do treatments? (moisture/protein)
• What will I use to moisturize? (how does my hair react?)
• How often will I detangle?
• How much time do I have to devote to my healthy hair practices?
• How much effort do I want to put in to my regimen?

Finally, you may want to consider incorporating one (or more) of these into your routine:

–Pre-Wash Oil Treatment
–Dry detangle and shampoo in twists
–The Baggy Method
–Henna for strong hair!

I’ll be back soon with vitamin and supplement info, as well as what I plan to eat, and… cough… how often I plan to work out 😉