WTF? (What the 'fro)
- Hope Lyndsey Plumb
- Jul 20, 2016
- 4 min read
I've decided to give you access into the inner most sanctum that is a black woman's hair routine. Black or not, woman or not, I implore you to read on, nay take notes if you will. So that never again will I have to answer questions like "What do you do to it?"& "How do you get your hair like that?".
Afro textured hair... It really is an intriguing mystery to most, heck it's a mystery to those of us that actually have it!! Us curly girls enjoy a complicated relationship with our wirey follicles. Whilst being versatile, it's by no means an "easy" hair type.
If you are a black girl born in the 70s or 80s, at some point in your life you most likely chose to have a relaxer on your hair to make it more "manageable or easier"to deal with. Getting a relaxer means putting enough chemicals on your head to remove every, single trace of kink or curl! It becomes bone straight.
I became natural, meaning I stopped relaxing my hair (reasons to follow in my next Hair post) in April 2014 & so April is my "nappiversarry". (Nappy is an affectionate term often used to describe Afro textured hair)
Now, a person with Afro textured hair CANNOT merely shampoo, condition & then go about their business. With this hair texture, if you just abandon it rather than applying additional products after the wash, then the hair begins to dry out & to touch it is akin to running your fingers through a wirey Brillo pad. So, if you don't want your hair to lose all moisture & eventually fall out then you must "look after"/"care for" it, beyond buying expensive shampoos & conditioners.
Over the past two years I have watched days & days worth of YouTube videos schooling me on what products & methods to use to ensure that I have healthy & more importantly than anything (it seems), fast growing hair. And consequentially, the past 2 years have seen me purchase MANY, many hair products resulting in varying degrees of success. You see, no matter how similar your hair texture/thickness/curl may look to that person in the video, there is absolutely no guarantee that YOUR hair will react to products in the same way that THEIRS does. It's a gamble. An expensive gamble. One that can lead you to become what's known as a Product Junkie.
"My name is Hope Lyndsey Plumb and I AM a product junkie"
In the early days of my Natural Hair Journey I bought Shea Moisture's Curling Soufflé & Curl Enhancing Smoothie of the Coconut & Hibiscus range. My only reason for buying these is that this was the product that was the most popularly used in the videos & pics on YouTube and Instagram. However, it just didn't work for me. Perhaps I was too heavy handed with the amount of product that I used or maybe I wasn't using the correct shampoo to compliment the after care products. I don't know, but I couldn't get along with it. So I moved on to another product line. This time Cantu. I bought MOST of the products from the Cantu Naturals range. Shea Butter Daily Oil Moisturiser, Leave-in Conditioner, Define & Shine Custard, Creamy Hair Lotion, Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream & the co-wash (Meanwhile, my expensive Shea Moisture things languished in the back of my overflowing cupboard of Product Junkie shame)
My hair took to the Cantu products really well & I was happy with the results that I was achieving. However the junkie within me wanted to try other ranges of haircare products "just in case" my hair turned out even "better". To cut a long story short, I've gone on a complicated, time-consuming journey, handing over hard earned cash to companies such as Keracare, Mizani, Aunt Jackie's & Dark & Lovely Au Naturale - which incidentally hands down is the Worst Product Ever, don't even bother & please don't be drawn in by their shiny tv advertisement:
And now... 2 years on I have come full circle and landed back onto the Shea Moisture products. The difference this time is that I'm using Shea Moisture EVERYTHING & I'm not mixing/matching products from different brands. I use their shampoo & conditioner, leave in conditioner & the curling gel soufflé & curl enhancing smoothie.
Routine & Method
Every other night following wash day, I separate my hair into sections & spray with water. Taking it section by section I first apply Shea Moisture's JBCO Strengthen, Grow & Restore Leave-in Conditioner, ensuring every strand is firstly detangled with the comb and then coated with product by using my Denman brush. I then apply an oil mixture. This is a homemade concoction of equal parts olive oil, almond oil & Jamaican Black Castor Oil. Finally, I add on either the shuffle or the smoothie I then do 2 strand twists all over my head. Anything from 5 giant twists to 20 much smaller ones. This somewhat convoluted method guarantees that my hair stays moisturised for the days to come between washes. (Wash day blog coming soon)
My hair, at last, feels soft & fully nourished instead of crunchy & dry. The Shea Moisture products are thick & creamy, the scent is fresh but not overpowering & it lasts on my hair for as long as I would expect for the price of the items.
In conclusion, the 'fro do can be costly both in monetary & time value but it's most certainly not a boring hair style and in the words of L'Oreal "I'm worth it!"
And for those of you worrying about my Product Junkie ways... I have been blessed with 3 curly, coily little ones who, between them, seem to cover the entire wide ranging spectrum of Afro textured hair. So I can use up all of my left over, unused & unloved products on them!
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