So as of now, Angela and I still haven’t made our way to Zamora Natural Hair Salon in Temple Hills, MD. I’m very excited, but in the meantime, I thought it would be good to tell you about my haircare routine as of right now. Over the years, I’ve tried a lot of different techniques, styles and products. After my first year as a naturalista, I kept to more of the “keep it simple, stupid” approach never giving much thought to what guidance, styling tools or natural hair salons Temple Hills or Washington, DC had to offer.
As I admitted in my first youtube video, I often don’t comb my hair. I can go two or maybe three days without it. After two, though, there is usually hell to pay. To comb my hair, I use a wide-toothed comb and spritz my hair, section by section, with my own mix. The mix is mostly water with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil (any store brand) and sometimes a leave in conditioner of my choice. I try to choose leave-ins with simple, pronounceable ingredient lists and the two I’ve had most success with were kinky curly and shea moisture. Both are regular rinse-out conditioners that double as leave-ins. If my hair is in need of extra moisture, I may coat it with some Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, or both. However, since it is now summer time and DC is capital “H” humid, my curls are thriving and moist without too much product.
Beyond the daily-- and I use that term “daily” loosely-- routine, I focus on maintenance through diligently *cough cough* trimming my hair every six weeks, sleeping on a satin pillowcase, and deep conditioning every other week (or so I tell myself). What do I deep condition with? Anything that’s good for my hair that I have in the fridge. Below is a quick list:
Olive oil and coconut oil- great for moisturising your hair and lubricating strands
Avocado/ grapeseed oil- seals moisture into the hair shaft
Yoghurt (regular or greek)- a good source of protein and moisture, also soothes dry, itchy scalps
Honey- a humectant that draws moisture to your hair
Avocado and Banana- packed with nutrients. Make sure you liquify and strain them thoroughly or you will be picking their pieces out of your hair
Corn starch or flour for thickening my concoctions
Products I don’t like
Egg- full of protein, yes, but I don’t like the smell and as I apply heat I find bits of cooked egg in my hair
Pure shea butter- I enjoy many products with shea butter in them, but in my experience, shea butter by itself just sits on my hair and makes it feel heavy and greasy.
I think simplicity (read: laziness) is the key to my hair maintenance. Every now and again, I love a nice elaborate updo and I’m looking forward to trying some out at Zamora Natural Hair Salon in Temple Hills. However when it’s just me I try to make sure i have enough moisture to last the day by using simple, natural ingredients. One thing I appreciate about Tonika is her commitment to keeping things natural and clean. She’s a vegetarian, who believes in using simple ingredients from nature to nourish her body as well as her hair. I’m still not as disciplined in either regard, but believe I can be with the right coach at the right Temple Hills natural hair salon.
What routines do you follow? How do you stay disciplined about your hair maintenance? Let me know in the comments, or come say hi if you see me when you book your next Zamora hair salon appointment.