♥ My Daily Hair Care Routine ♥

Helloooo, my friends.
Sorry I haven't been on in a while, but school is getting crazy because it is exam time (AKA: ALMOST SUMMER!).

Anywho, I've changed a few things in my beauty regime and I wanted to let you guys know what I'm doing now!

First thing, I stopped using my Desert Essence shampoo because I read that coconut derived sulfates are JUST AS DAMAGING AS NORMAL SULFATES. Which I guess makes sense, but I just figured that if it was made from a natural source it couldn't be that bad, right? Wrong. Apparently, MOST sulfates are coconut-derived. Who-da thunk? (I watched this video...it was quite enlightening).

So anywho, I have made my own Coconut Milk Shampoo...and I am in love with it. And it was easier than I thought it was going to be... I WILL be making a post on it, I promise :).

So here is my routine for my hair care right now (find out why I do each step below the routine):

STEP ONE: Pre-poo. I apply coconut oil to DRY hair (water will reject it; you can also use argan, olive, avocado or jojoba oil) to the roots, shaft and ends of my hair. I wrap that shit up in a plastic bag and let it sit anywhere between 20 minutes to like 24 hours.. (I'm usually about 1-3 hours). I just do stuff to keep busy. I will workout, do some homework, make lunch/dinner...Also, I have taken the bag off, braided my hair and ran errands and it just looks like my hair is wet. So keep it on as long as you can. THEN I....
STEP TWO: Shampoo. I get into the shower and rinse my hair with luke-warm water and apply my Homemade shampoo and shampoo as usual. You really need to massage for at least 5 minutes to ensure that the oils are being soaped out. Sometimes I will just leave it in my hair for a few minutes as I do other things. And then of course, rinse with as cool/cold a temperature of water as you can stand.
STEP THREE: Condition. I use my own, homemade conditioner as well (I haven't named it, or perfected it yet, but there will be a post coming). I squeeze out the excess water in my hair and spray on my conditioner-rinse. Then, I either shave, wash my body, wash my face.. etc etc, until I have left it on for 5-10 minutes OR I get out of the shower and clip or wrap my hair up while I wait, and go about doing other things. Either way, after those 5-10 minutes I...
STEP FOUR: Rinse. I rinse it with as cold a water temp as I can stand. I do suggest getting out of the shower and just using the shower head manually, that way your body doesn't get a super not-nice shock from the freezing water.
STEP FIVE: Air dry. This is a normal step for me, I always let my hair air dry. I feel no need for a hair dryer usually, unless I am in a hurry to go out somewhere where I have to look presentable (and no, class does not count for me..).

Now, some of you might be wondering, "Emma, why do you go through this hassle?"
Well, because I want healthy, strong and balanced hair.
Here's whats up. My hair has been driving me nuts. I have a super oily scalp and veeerry dry/brittle ends. And I have tried a whole bunch of "natural" products (cough..coco-sulfate..cough) that were decent, but clearly weren't doing the job. And quite frankly, you can't trust companies to tell you exactly what is in their products or how they are processed.

So basically, here's the rundown of each step:
Pre-poo. Pre-poo with one of the oils mentioned allows for the hair shaft to retain moisture and doesn't get stripped by too much water and shampoos and what not. By allowing the oil to sink into your scalp and hair, you are keeping the shampoo and water from expanding and contracting the strand, which would result in dryness and breakage. So when you use the oils, they create a moisture barrier that allows your hair to retain moisture and still be properly cleansed.
DIY Shampoo: As stated before, I got sick of companies and chemicals, so I made my own. And guys, you could aaaall do this. It is so easy, and actually works.
DIY Condtioner: I made a conditioner-rinse for the same reason I made the shampoo. I made this one specifically though, because my shampoo is more alkaline than hairs natural pH, so I made this conditoner to balance the pH back to normal.
Cold Water: Cold water is actually super important to hair care. And it seems like something you would never think about. But don't we all know that heat causes damage? Yet, we don't think that that idea relates to the hot water we use on our hair...but it does. Cold water strengthens hair against damage and closes the "pores" of our scalp and hair so that moisture is retained and thus we get bouncy, light, and SHINY hair.
Air dry: I feel like this is self explanatory BUT, I don't use heat/heating tools on my hair to keep it from being damaged. Thus, I allow the wonderful air to take the place of my blow-dryer.

ALSO: I DO NOT WASH MY HAIR EVERYDAY. Omg. If you do...stahp. Stahp it, right now. There is no need. Sorry pet peeve. I wash my hair every two-three days, depending on how sweaty I get from my workouts and what-not. I use a dry shampoo whenever I feel my hair is out of control, but I don't like doing that all that much either (I plan on making my own dry shampoo too. hehehe)

That is all for now, but I encourage everyone to try this method!