#14: The Products That Saved Me From Relaxing My Natural Hair (Luv Naturals)
As I started to prep myself for wash day, thoughts of my former relaxed days begin to look enticing. I'm sure for every Natural out there, there is one part of our hair routine we despise. Styling? Easy. Night time prep? Piece of cake. Wash day? I HATE IT WITH A PASSION!
My old hair routine consisted of cleansing my hair with the Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash in Lavender Garden. Although this mixture of aloe vera juice and bentonite clay left my hair moisturized and allowed for my natural curl pattern to show, it was messy to use especially when detangling. It didn't matter if I used it in the shower or over the sink, the dark brown clay ended up everywhere. I'd had enough. It was time to revisit YouTube.
I ended up looking at old videos of Kimmaytube. If you are Natural and don't know this name, you must have been living under a rock for the past few years. She was one of the first to become popular in the Natural Hair community. Since she appears to know more about the science of our hair better than myself, I said to myself why not try out products that worked for her. To my surprise, Kim had released her own line of hair products a few years back.
SAY WHAT?
How in the heck did I miss this? With her hair now down to her butt, it was just a matter of clicks before I purchased her entire line for myself. Shipping was fast. I don't remember exactly how fast but I would say less than a week. Perhaps 4 days. Anywho, here is a breakdown of the four-step system:
Step #1: "Don't Be So Clingy" Hair Detangler ($13) - Ingredients & How-to Video
I have never finger detangled my hair in my life. For the next few months I will try my best to not use my Denman brush and see if it has an effect on the growth of my hair. This product has great slip if your hair is wet enough. You can always spritz your hair with more water as you go. Detangling my hair with this product was easy and there was very little hair shedding and breakage.
Step #2: "Wash Me Gently" Hair & Scalp Cleanser - ($13) - Ingredients & How-to Video
Produces great lather if again your hair is wet enough. I like the faint peppermint scent but I don't feel like it cleans my scalp good enough. So to combat that issue I use a small amount of the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo ON MY SCALP ONLY. I chose this shampoo simply because I need to use up my old products. When I rinse out the Wash Me Gently cleanser, my hair feels super clean.
Step #3: "Conditional Love" Hair Conditioner - ($13) - Ingredients & How-to Video
I only wash my hair every two weeks so I always deep condition by sitting under a hooded dryer for at least 30 mins. When I apply this product to my hair it doesn't really feel like anything special. That is until after my time under the dryer. Conditional Love leaves my hair feeling so soft and moisturized!
Step #4: "Love Me and Leave-In Conditioner" - ($14) - Ingredients & How-to Video
Not much to say here. I like the product and the way it feels when applied to my hair. The scent I can live without but it's tolerable.
THE ADDITIONAL STEP I FOUND TO BE AMAZING: Kimmaytube's Leave-in Conditioner
This Kimmaytube recipe was a staple for many of us kinky hair ladies way before the Luv Naturals hair line was introduced. I can't find her original video of her making this, but here are the ingredients:
2 tablespoons of YOUR preferred silicone free conditioner (I use Kinky Curly Knot Today)
2 tablespoons of (Whole leaf version) Aloe Vera Juice with a pH 4.0 or 4.5
2 teaspoons of Castor Oil
2 teaspoons of Jojoba Oil
I apply this on top of the Love Me and Leave-in Conditioner. My hair is so soft once it dries. I'm hoping to stick as close to this routine for the next few months to see if I can achieve more length. As always, I promise to keep you posted.