Natural hair can be unpredictable in that you never know what you will get. This can be good and bad. In addition to the routine hair therapy, i.e., regular trims, deep conditioning, and henna treatments, these are the day to day tips to having a good hair day every day.
• Always start out on detangled hair
Freshly shampooed and thoroughly detangled hair will always give you the best results. Twisting or braiding hair that is already matted and tangled will only produce more knots and tangles.
• More product, more problems!
This is one time when less is more. Excessive amounts of product will only lead to weighing down your tresses and ultimately product build up. You can always apply additional product if necessary but applying too much initially can only be rectified by re-shampooing.
Quick application tips:
*start off with a quarter size portion – adjust based on texture and desired style
*apply in sections – sections are easier to deal with
• Placement strategy
I always receive my best results when my twists or braids are calculated. They do not need to be carefully parted or measured as if you were laying tile floor, however, merely throwing them in haphazardly will result in a less polished look. Even when you want a sexy, messy look, placement makes a huge difference.
• Seal those ends
Skipping this step will give your ends cause to fray and only make more work for you later. Healthy ends will yield an overall healthy appearance and hair will be more manageable.
*Oils add shine not moisture, however, they do a great job at trapping the existing moisture in. I seal with shea butter and coconut oil.
• Tie your hair up for a smooth finish
Aside from the obvious damage caused by friction between your hair and cotton pillowcases, the satin scarf will keep things in place. It is not just to achieve smooth edges, it also keeps your mane in check. It reduces friction causing dryness and reduces frizz when you release your twists or braids.
• Pineapple
If you are unable or unwilling ☺ to retwist or rebraid at night, the pineapple will do the trick. By gently placing the hair high on top of the head, you will be able to preserves the curl pattern and maintain your look.
*secure the hair with a satin scrunchie or loose band
• Don’t over separate
After releasing your twists or braids (with oils on your fingers), unravel the areas that you want more volume the most. Too much separation will lead to excessive frizz.
*if you are rocking a wash and go, resist the urge to touch your hair after styling.
• Retwist or Rebraid
If pineappling is not your thing, retwisting or rebraiding at night is a good way to rejuvenate and restore your look, as well as providing more definition.
• Let twists or braids dry completely
The cardinal sin when it comes to styling is to unravel hair prior to it being 95-98% dry. Hair needs time to set and interrupting the process will result in a bad day all day.
Thank you for the tips. I usually sleep on a satin pillow case that I bought at walmart and tie my hair up at night too.
Does anyone have any tips for shorter hair? My hair is fine I also sleep with a bonnet on but my twist out lasts only a couple days. I can't pineapple because it's to short. I am very frustrated!
It is great to have this info. I do all these things just not every single time. @breathefashion3c I will print this and put in my bathroom to so that I follow these steps each time…I too braid and twist haphazardly. But I have a question about scalp…do u seal in moisture on the scalp or start with dry scalp then oil or semi dry scalp to seal in that moisture by oiling? I have dry itchy scalp that requires me to shampoo every week. I don't know what I am doing wrong but I would loooove not to need to shampoo so often. Thanks for ur help.
I sleep with a satin bonet on but my hair is fine & thin so it's beautiful the day I take down my twist but when I put my bonet back on at night my curls are all smushed. I'm going to try re-twisting at night and get one of those gwraps. The tips were very very helpful.
I'm already following most of these tips, the only thing is that I don't trim my ends…and yes, I oftentimes retwist haphazardly…I don't use that many products, maybe two at the most, which is moisturizing lotion and shea butter oil, that's it (of course I use water), and then I put my twists up in a bun and wrap with a scarf, the next day (or whenever I feel like taking the twists out) I'm good to go.
I am going to give my hair a rest. I'm going to shampoo (it's conditioner wash today)apply doo gro and lusters oil moisturizer, than pin curl my hair while it's wet.I think I'm going to leave it this way for a week.
Great tips! I tie up my hair with satin G Wraps (ghairwrap. com) which I love because it doesn't smoosh my curls!
Pineappling is truly a lifesaver for when you are tired or in a rush.But I confess that I am guilty of haphazard twisting. I never know what I'm gonna get when It's time to untwist..
My edges always seem to be in little worlds. Sometimes I put some gels and set it with a satin scarf. But most of the time, I apply mist it with water, apply some oils, and a little cream (basically the LOC method) and set it with a scarf. It gives me a fresher look.
– discoveringnatural.blogspot.com
I have to remind myself to resist the urge to overseparate. I like having a Mufasa mane.
I have thick fine hair. I get fuller and better twist outs and braids outs when my hair is partially dry. Because I have fine hair when twist/braid outs on wet hair my part shows too much and my hair doesn't give that thick, full look.
I agree 100% with these tips– especially # 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9. I follow these tips every wash day and I have the nicest braid-outs. Step 9 is super important–I always air-dry my braids uder a cute hat for at least a day.
Also, if my braid-out is looking less that cute, I put my hair into a high bun (sock bun or cinnabun). After smmothing on some flax seed gel and setting it with a satin scarf, I'm good to go. 🙂
I am so seriously going to write these down and post on my mirror. But for me, I am going to add, BE PATIENT! However I have to take my hair down from braids/twists when it is only about 70% dry. Air-drying allows my hair to grow, giving it much needed volume. I do need to learn how to chill on the product usage! I want to use everything at one time, and then I use too much of it. That's my number one problem!
Thank you for the wonderful post. I where a braid out everyday and at night I rebraid.