The wash day before last, I contemplated allowing my hair to dry naked and asked my IG followers if they’d be interested in seeing that. Enough responded to the affirmative that I decided to do it. In a funny coincidence and unbeknownst to me, CurlyNikki ended up doing the same thing, though she did it accidentally (see here if you missed it)! As she replied to me when I told her about it, “We LIVE on the same page.” LOL!!
Anywho, the reason behind dong this was actually two-fold. One was to post it, of course . But, the second was to validate that my regimen and products are doing right by my hair when they are NOT on it. You see, daily conditioners, leave-ins, deep conditioners, moisturizing creams, butters, curl enhancers, gels, serums, glossers, sheen sprays and even water can mask a variety of “sins.” They can make your hair look Grrrrrrreeeeeeat!!! However, how does our hair look and feel when all of these products are washed away? Assessing your naked hair (damp or dry) periodically can reveal whether those conditioners, creams, serums, etc. are actually doing right by your hair and helping improve the health of it … or if those products are contributing and/or causing the problem.
You see, many years ago, I was using a line of products religiously for a few months. The line will go unnamed here, but let’s just say that it’s a budget-breaker and I’ve talked about my experience with it a couple of times. Anywho, initially, I thought that the products were awesome!! They smelled wonderful, were creamy and smooth, and also moisturizing … or so I thought. As I continued to use the product, it seemed like I had to dampen and re-apply the product daily for my hair to look or feel good. Then, I started to realize that every time that I washed my hair, it didn’t feel good. So, I would deep condition (with a product from another line) and it would feel better. But then, one day as I washed my hair, a lightbulb went off. I realized that my hair was feeling and looking worse and worse every time I washed it!!! It felt dry and brittle and looked the same! It struck me that the products I was using were actually causing the health of my hair to deteriorate!!! Well, that’s all I needed! I chucked those ol’ expensive a$$ products like a bad habit!!
Ever since then, I pay attention to what my hair is telling me when it’s naked. Of course, it’s not going to look like it does with products. Then there wouldn’t be this billion dollar hair industry!! LOL! But, there are some things that I can expect. Does it feel moisturized and supple? Does it have a healthy natural sheen that I expect for my hair and normal or reduced frizz (it’s not going to be frizz-free, but I know which areas of my hair are naturally smooth and which are frizzy due to varying porosity)? Are my S-waves and curls “popping?” If my hair is all of the above, I know that my pre-poos and conditioners are doing their jobs and that my stylers are either helping or, at least, not hurting! If it’s not? I know it’s time to time to step back and figure out where I’m going wrong and tweak my regimen accordingly. Fortunately for me, I haven’t had to do the latter since I ditched that unnamed product line years ago!! And, I’m very happy to say that when I allowed my hair to dry naked last week, it felt and looked moisturized, supple, sheeny, soft, wavy/curly and strong!! Yea for good products!!
