Natural hair maintenance

When my hair was this short...it was easier to handle.

Those aren't hi lights, it is a clay
conditioning mask from Butters-N-Bars.

What is it about hair that drives a woman so crazy? LOL  Well...mine had me putting mud in my hair.  No... really. The mud is a clay conditioning mask from www.butter-n-bars.com. (Use code YBBG for 10% off your purchase.)

When you use the clay masque it should be done in the shingling method. Just part small sections and apply it to clean damp or wet hair. It is reddish brown, and may stain your clothes, but not your skin...as it washes right out.  It will take you a while to get it all out though.  A heat cap helps it penetrate.

I tell y'all the truth on here.  Having natural hair is fantastic.  It really is.  However, it takes the type of maintenance I never gave my relaxed hair.  My natural hair texture is thick with tiny coils.  It is looser in the back and has bigger spirals at the top.

When it is dry, it is a heck of a mess! It soaks up every moisturizer you can think of. It was easier to maintain when it was shorter.  As it has grown, I have to find different things to use on it.  It shrinks a bunch when dry.  The looser coils I have when my hair is wet do not make themselves available when it isn't. LOL

I love washing my hair frequently, which is not the best deal for natural hair...as it tends to dry my hair.  Dry hair= brittle hair.

Back of hair full of "mud".

Front of hair full of "mud".

The process is messy. I probably should
have worn gloves, huh? 

Hair in mini puffs after washing the "mud"
out. 

So I have finally given in to the warnings of two different stylist, and cut down on my washing (Which used to be every other day or every day for a WNG (wash n' go).  Even when you use a good penetrating conditioner, your hair gets dry if a moisturizer isn't included.

The clay masque is messy, but it does a great job conditioning. The big thing is you have to keep the jar of clay conditioner refrigerated or it will spoil.  It happened to me. I went to use a jar once, without refrigerating it, and found mold all in it! Eeewwww... Next time, I will read labels.

Now I've learned to cut down on all the washing. Use water to dampen my hair and apply moisturizer.  Seal it with shea butter to hold the moisture in...and wear a satin cap at night.  I never wore a cap...thus this little broken patch of hair that I have to cover up, and my stylist calls my "special place" LOL

Do I wish I had a relaxer again? NOPE! I just have to be more careful LOL