As you can probably tell, I couldn't think of a short title for this post! I have been styling my hair without heat for about 6 weeks now and I cannot believe the progress it has made, and I thought it would also be a good idea to start documenting it.
Both pictures were taking straight after washing. The white residue you can see is my leave in conditioner, I use the Cantu Shea Butter Leave in which is so easy and quick to use. I have also been trying the Aphogee Pro Vitamin conditioner, I thought I would prefer it because it is in a spray bottle, but I totally prefer the creamy texture of the Cantu one.
As you can see in the top picture my hair is quite limp and is practically straight on the ends due to heat damage. I never thought I would be able to do a wash and go style like below without doing a huge chop, but with time and patience I have learnt that your hair will love you if you love it back! I
The main thing that I think has brought the body, fullness and curl back into my hair is of course cutting down on using heat. Secondly, I have been washing it about twice a week with non sulphate shampoo and using products that emphasise having lots of protein in them and stating that they are for damaged hair.
(I am hoping to start making my own protein masks but I haven't got round to it yet)
In-between washes I have been using the LOC method as a way of keeping the moisture in, and spraying it with water constantly because there really is no better way to moisture your hair than H20!
I have stopped using towels to dry my hair as this just causes frizz, and the texture of towels will rub against the curls in your hair. Instead I use an old t-shirt and just wrap it round to stop it dripping. I know it is best to air dry it but my hair takes ages to dry and I hate feeling it drip down my neck. EW!
So, for now I think I have perfected my wash routine. I use the Aphogee Shampoo for damaged hair. Then I put loads of the Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning repair cream and let it air dry for about 20 minutes, then put a t-shirt on it (whilst I do my makeup). After that, whilst it is still damp i put coconut oil onto my hair by sectioning it and making sure it is mostly on the roots. Sometimes If I have somewhere I need to be I will use my hairdryer on the cool setting to speed it up a bit!
The creamy set product is my new favourite, it sets curls just like eco styler gel but without the stiffness, and like all these products it is available in your local hair shop. I didn't buy any of these things online.
I get quite a few people asking me what I use, so I hope that helps.
If you have any suggestions for products feel free to comment below!
As you can probably tell, I couldn't think of a short title for this post! I have been styling my hair without heat for about 6 weeks now and I cannot believe the progress it has made, and I thought it would also be a good idea to start documenting it.
Both pictures were taking straight after washing. The white residue you can see is my leave in conditioner, I use the Cantu Shea Butter Leave in which is so easy and quick to use. I have also been trying the Aphogee Pro Vitamin conditioner, I thought I would prefer it because it is in a spray bottle, but I totally prefer the creamy texture of the Cantu one.
As you can see in the top picture my hair is quite limp and is practically straight on the ends due to heat damage. I never thought I would be able to do a wash and go style like below without doing a huge chop, but with time and patience I have learnt that your hair will love you if you love it back! I
The main thing that I think has brought the body, fullness and curl back into my hair is of course cutting down on using heat. Secondly, I have been washing it about twice a week with non sulphate shampoo and using products that emphasise having lots of protein in them and stating that they are for damaged hair.
(I am hoping to start making my own protein masks but I haven't got round to it yet)
In-between washes I have been using the LOC method as a way of keeping the moisture in, and spraying it with water constantly because there really is no better way to moisture your hair than H20!
I have stopped using towels to dry my hair as this just causes frizz, and the texture of towels will rub against the curls in your hair. Instead I use an old t-shirt and just wrap it round to stop it dripping. I know it is best to air dry it but my hair takes ages to dry and I hate feeling it drip down my neck. EW!
So, for now I think I have perfected my wash routine. I use the Aphogee Shampoo for damaged hair. Then I put loads of the Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning repair cream and let it air dry for about 20 minutes, then put a t-shirt on it (whilst I do my makeup). After that, whilst it is still damp i put coconut oil onto my hair by sectioning it and making sure it is mostly on the roots. Sometimes If I have somewhere I need to be I will use my hairdryer on the cool setting to speed it up a bit!
The creamy set product is my new favourite, it sets curls just like eco styler gel but without the stiffness, and like all these products it is available in your local hair shop. I didn't buy any of these things online.
I get quite a few people asking me what I use, so I hope that helps.
If you have any suggestions for products feel free to comment below!
It's that time of the academic year where organisation is everything. I truly believe that sometimes being organised outweighs actually being smart 'clever' so all these notebooks better help me out!
Also, that is just another one of my excuses to have a pretty bookshelf.
Most of these things were gifts but they are definitely things I couldn't live without now
First of all my MacBook Pro is actually my life. Until recently I hadn't been into using an electronic/online calendar but it now I like to use both for practicalities, as it can be quite heavy to carry my laptop AND diary to uni (First World Problems) and because I get a reminder on my phone and on my laptop.
To the right is my week planner, this is great to write down shifts at work or blog posts or your gym schedule! This was a gift from John Lewis, you can find it here.
Next up is my Cath Kidston Pencil Case. All the Cath Kinston stuff you can see here my boyfriend bought me for my birthday, I can't believe he spent that long in there! I guess you could say a pencil case is a bit childish, but a lost memory stick is no laughing matter, so I like carrying around my essentials in this. I also keep lip balm, earphones etc in there. This is the 'Billie Goes to Town' Pencil Case.
My Pen came in a box which makes for a great gift and is so pretty... too nice to use for scribbling notes at uni! I couldn't find the exact one but here is a similar version .
The notebook is great to use as a diary. It is hardback and doesn't have any dividers so not the best for university, but great for blog ideas or just general life notes! Here is a similar one.
I don't quite know how I coped without a wall calendar before this! It's so handy if someone asks you if you are available last minute, and you can just glance at the wall. Also, it's great for me to see when my deadlines are due so I can see how close together they are and cry plan accordingly.
I couldn't find a link to where this was available online as you can imagine (It is February!).
But you could probably get one discounted now which is even better!
Last but not least is my 'Life Book' it says that is for organised mums ha! But it is actually so helpful, there are pages for you to write down your budget, and just about anything you can think of.
So I have a bit of a stationery addiction and it seems like everyone knows it!
What are your favourite ways to stay organised?
It's that time of the academic year where organisation is everything. I truly believe that sometimes being organised outweighs actually being smart 'clever' so all these notebooks better help me out!
Also, that is just another one of my excuses to have a pretty bookshelf.
Most of these things were gifts but they are definitely things I couldn't live without now
First of all my MacBook Pro is actually my life. Until recently I hadn't been into using an electronic/online calendar but it now I like to use both for practicalities, as it can be quite heavy to carry my laptop AND diary to uni (First World Problems) and because I get a reminder on my phone and on my laptop.
To the right is my week planner, this is great to write down shifts at work or blog posts or your gym schedule! This was a gift from John Lewis, you can find it here.
Next up is my Cath Kidston Pencil Case. All the Cath Kinston stuff you can see here my boyfriend bought me for my birthday, I can't believe he spent that long in there! I guess you could say a pencil case is a bit childish, but a lost memory stick is no laughing matter, so I like carrying around my essentials in this. I also keep lip balm, earphones etc in there. This is the 'Billie Goes to Town' Pencil Case.
My Pen came in a box which makes for a great gift and is so pretty... too nice to use for scribbling notes at uni! I couldn't find the exact one but here is a similar version .
The notebook is great to use as a diary. It is hardback and doesn't have any dividers so not the best for university, but great for blog ideas or just general life notes! Here is a similar one.
I don't quite know how I coped without a wall calendar before this! It's so handy if someone asks you if you are available last minute, and you can just glance at the wall. Also, it's great for me to see when my deadlines are due so I can see how close together they are and cry plan accordingly.
I couldn't find a link to where this was available online as you can imagine (It is February!).
But you could probably get one discounted now which is even better!
Last but not least is my 'Life Book' it says that is for organised mums ha! But it is actually so helpful, there are pages for you to write down your budget, and just about anything you can think of.
So I have a bit of a stationery addiction and it seems like everyone knows it!
What are your favourite ways to stay organised?
It is affordable and is widely available on the high street
The packaging is cute and the tub can definitely be re-used
It is very moisturising and has a nice texture. I would say it is better as a moisturiser than a curl definer as it isn't sticky and it prevented my hair from drying out after being in the cold and wind!
My ends did stay curled!
It is affordable and is widely available on the high street
The packaging is cute and the tub can definitely be re-used
It is very moisturising and has a nice texture. I would say it is better as a moisturiser than a curl definer as it isn't sticky and it prevented my hair from drying out after being in the cold and wind!
My ends did stay curled!
It has been 1 month since I embarked on my journey of heat free styling!
The main reason for my decision to cut down on blowdrying/straightening was simply because of boredom. I was bored of wearing it the same everyday and I think that the natural texture of my hair has a lot more versatility. I follow a lot of the natural hair bloggers and pages on Instagram that inspire me and I didn't want to inflict any more permanent heat damage on my hair.
I'm not saying I won't ever blow-dry it or straighten it again, but at least I know what I can do with it now!
So here is a few things I learnt this month!
- Curls will come back! It's all about patience. As you can imagine I had quite a bit of heat damage on the ends (luckily not as much as I thought) so that initially put me off wearing it as an afro, but I just bit the bullet and you will see that straight ends will start to revert.
- It takes a while to learn what works on your hair and what doesn't. Not everything that you see hair bloggers use will work on you so prepare for a few rough looking days when things go wrong!
- It takes WAAAY more time getting ready in the morning now. I thought it would be the other way round!
- You don't need to have a lot of money to achieve different styles. My go to's are Ecostyler Gel and Water!
It has been 1 month since I embarked on my journey of heat free styling!
The main reason for my decision to cut down on blowdrying/straightening was simply because of boredom. I was bored of wearing it the same everyday and I think that the natural texture of my hair has a lot more versatility. I follow a lot of the natural hair bloggers and pages on Instagram that inspire me and I didn't want to inflict any more permanent heat damage on my hair.
I'm not saying I won't ever blow-dry it or straighten it again, but at least I know what I can do with it now!
So here is a few things I learnt this month!
- Curls will come back! It's all about patience. As you can imagine I had quite a bit of heat damage on the ends (luckily not as much as I thought) so that initially put me off wearing it as an afro, but I just bit the bullet and you will see that straight ends will start to revert.
- It takes a while to learn what works on your hair and what doesn't. Not everything that you see hair bloggers use will work on you so prepare for a few rough looking days when things go wrong!
- It takes WAAAY more time getting ready in the morning now. I thought it would be the other way round!
- You don't need to have a lot of money to achieve different styles. My go to's are Ecostyler Gel and Water!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons