Finding the Right Hair Care Regimen & Product Line Continuity

Finding the right hair care is essential. The end all be all of hair care doesn’t exist! What used to work might have been reformulated or discontinued. A new line is on its way too.  A professional application is not the same as at home care.   When possible, I give samples of products to the client so they can judge the performance for themselves.  

There is not a 100 percent guarantee with any line. In general, I like to stick with a single product line in my hair-care regimen. However, that isn’t always practical despite the plethora of options the market provides. Hair either responds to a product or it doesn’t. Unfortunately, it is not a one size fits all, which often leaves us with a graveyard of failed products in the quest to find the one that works best for us.

Caring for curly hair is more like a lifestyle than a daily routine.  Setting aside “me time” to wash our hair can feel like a luxury.  Time budgets can be tight.  Washing and styling curly hair is a process.  The washing, product application, styling and drying can take anywhere from two hours to two days.  Determining when to wash is based on porosity, amount of sebaceous oil, and sweat accumulated. This is why many curly individuals dedicate one day of the week for a full ‘Wash Day,’ while applying an abbreviated process to their hair in-between to keep their hair moisturized.

Protein and moisture are the name of the game with most curly lines. Mostly moisturizing products dominate the curly market.   Moisture creates volume and definition.  Protein is anti-frizz and closes the hair cuticle.  How ingredients interact with each-other and hair strands depends on the hair care lines use of water-soluble molecules. Protein can be defined with buzz words such as keratin and bond-builder.

If you are using a protein-based shampoo and conditioner, it is best to balance a regimen with this ratio:  1 protein ‘Wash Day” to 3 moisturizing “Wash Days.’  Too much protein can dull the hair, making it so strong it breaks—like a dehydrated stick. The hair benefits from moisture molecules balancing out the protein deposits.

Not all moisturizing molecules are created equal.  Some are super light.  Others are heavy with essential oils.  Deciding which one to buy is exhausting. I strongly recommend buying smaller sizes of conditioners until you feel it is safe to invest in liter sizes.