Hair Care Routine
Everyone has a hair care routine but is it a healthy one? Often times life gets busy and we neglect ourselves to include proper maintenance of our hair, skin and nails. This post will focus on hair care. First things first, you must identify which hair type you have in order to properly care for it. You would not care for a cat the same as you would a dog, although they are similar (four legged mammals that have fur) they have different dietary needs, respond to the environment differently and communicate their needs differently. Hair type/textures are similar in that they are cylindrical, keratinous filaments growing from the skin of humans and animals, but hair can vary in type, textures and density and all may require different things to maintain. Hair textures (curl type) can vary even on the same head. The curl type in the back of my head is completely different than the texture in front and middle of my head. With that being said, just as cats and dogs we cannot take care of all hair the same way simply because it’s all hair. People with fine to medium hair can wash their hair every 2-3 days while someone with medium to coarse hair can wash their hair every 1-2 weeks. This suggested due to the amount of sebum that each of us produce. Sebum is an oily secretion that moistens hair and keeps it from drying out. The glands that produce sebum (called sebaceous glands) are located next to hair roots in the layer of skin called the dermis. People with coarse and or curly hair will produce less sebum, thus require less frequent washing.
Now what is fine, medium and coarse hair? This refers to the diameter of each strands of hair. Generally if you take one strand of hair and rub it between your fingers you can determine your hair type.
Fine Hair: do not feel anything on your fingers
Medium Hair: you feel the hair
Coarse Hair: you feel a strong thick strand
*People often confuse hair type with density, the number of strands on a person’s head. People use the expression, “she has thick hair”, and this could apply to a person of any hair type because what makes hair thick is the density, the amount of hair not the type.
Once you have determined your hair type, it is now time to select the appropriate shampoo, I recommend a moisturizing, sulfate free shampoo. I have been using Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner for my coarse and curly hair. After shampooing one to two times, apply a moisturizing conditioner, I generally let any conditioner sit anywhere from 5-15 minutes to allow it time to do its job. Next rinse thoroughly and towel dry. Now apply your leave-in conditioner. This will help replenish moisture in your hair and prepare your hair for styling. Leave-in conditioners are a great way to replenish moisture while wearing protective styles. This last step is not for everyone, oil your scalp periodically. The need to oil your scalp totally depends on the amount of sebum you produce. Overproduction will leave your hair feeling oily and heavy and create oily flake on the scalp while underproduction will leave your hair dry and create dry white flakes on the scalp. A healthy scalp should look like the skin on the rest of your body, free of dandruff, redness and skin irritations.
