Christian Homekeeping

I was talking with a Sister tonight about using coconut oil to help prevent breakage. A few people have told me they started to do the treatments and one Sister's hair has improved greatly and even grew! She was telling me about it a week or so ago and I noticed the difference in her hair!!

So with that said, I have been doing this for as long as I've been a Christian (almost 10 years). My first Pastor's wife showed me to use it on my ends before I curl my hair, but my WHOLE head at the time was dry from a perm I got right before I got saved, so I put it all over and since then I still do that!

You don't just dab a little on. You actually COAT the hair in oil - drench it. I normally do it on Sunday night since I normally just clean the house on Monday and I can leave it in a long time. Since tonight it was time for a treatment, I decided it would be helpful to others to show just what I mean by drench it! Hubby took photos for me after I coated my hair (which takes me a good 15 minutes).

I do it in sections and from root to tip I put it on, putting a lot more on my ends because they are double processed from perms. You may ask why I put it on my new hair that is not processed - well, I want it to be in the best condition it can, because it will one day be my ends!

Once I've done all my hair, I use a fine tooth comb and comb through from roots to the ends all over. Then I flip my hair and add more oil on the hair while its flipped over and then I comb it again and wrap in a bun or braid.

I do this twice a month and use the Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo when its time to wash it out and then follow that with Finesse Moisturizing Conditioner. You will notice you will still have some oil left in your hair but that is ok! It will come out in the next wash, 2 or 3 days later and you should still be able to style your hair normally.

Click the photo to enlarge if you need to:



My hair (the permed part) has been really dry lately because of all the heat I've been using. I've been straightening my permed part so it matches my new growth or curling it. So if I keep using the heat on the permed portion, I may increase my coconut oil treatments from twice a month to every week. I used to do it every Monday with my first perm back in 99/2000 and it worked wonders, so I may have to do that again or just not use heat and let my hair be half permed/half straight and wear it back like I do sometimes. When I do this, I use the Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioner on the permed portion and then let it air dry and put the sides back.

Ok hope the photos help you all in some way realize I'm talking about drenching the hair, not just barely putting it on there! If you have permed hair, this will help. If you have un-processed hair - well it might help if you use heat a lot on your hair, but usually un-processed hair looks great already and that is what I'm headed back to as soon as my perm grows out (which will be probably 2 years!).

Here is the list of products I use or have used and that I recommend! I will also be doing a post on Hair Tools, which will show the combs, hair dryers, irons, etc.


Shampoo:

• Finesse Volumizing Shampoo - I love this stuff!
  
• Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo - I use this only to remove buildup once every 2 weeks (twice a month usually)

Conditioner:

• Finesse Moisturizing Conditioner

Leave-in Conditoners:

• Garnier Fructis Sleek n' Shine leave in conditioner - this is my miracle product! I've used it for about 2 years now and love it. For the first few months after my perm in 07, this is all I used on my hair! I would wash my hair and then put in the leave-in and let it air dry.

Gels:

• Suave Sculpting Gel - I use level 10, but have tried 8 and 9 in the past. It is alcohol free and inexpensive and works great! It doesn't flake either.

Hairsprays:

• John Freida FrizzEase Moisture Barrier Hairspray - don't use too much, it holds very well but if you use too much there is no going back unless you wash it out lol
• Suave Max hold #8 Hairspray - Light and you don't have to worry about using too much; it works good on taming flyaways

Oil:

I started out using the coconut oil in the ethnic hair care section, called Blue magic. I used this for years and it worked well. I then saw it was not plain coconut oil but also had petrolatum in it, so I stopped using it and started using Louana 100% coconut oil from Wal-mart and it works great and its cheap too!

• Louana Coconut Oil - the kind you buy in the grocery aisle! Take some in your hands and rub together until it emulsifies and turns from a solid to a liquid oil, then apply to hair. I coat my hair once a month and put it in a bun and then wash it out the next day or a few hours later. You can also put it on just the ends lightly before curling your hair.
• Blue Magic Hair Conditioner - works better for ethnic/women of color because it has petrolatum in it along with the coconut oil.
  

Heat Protectant:

• got2b crazy sleek, hot smooth, flat iron and blow dry lotion - you use this after you towel dry your hair if you plan on using heat on your hair. I've only used it a few times and noticed it actually helps hold curl too!
• Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray - I absolutely love this stuff! Not only does it smell so good, it makes my hair softer and protects against heat damage from my flat iron. When I curl my hair with my flat iron, this causes it to hold the curl more then without. I highly recommend it.
  

Hair Serum/Shine Products:

• Citre Shine Colour Prism Glossing Gelle - My Favorite! I love this stuff! It smells like citrus and then gives you a wonderful shine. I mostly use it when I wear my hair curly (what's left of my curly perm). I mix it in the palm of my hand with my Garnier leave-in cream and then apply to my hair from the shoulders down to the ends.
  
• got2b Dazzling Shine Spray - It's light because its a spray, so you can slowly add it on where needed. I like that it gives a more even coverage then if you put shine serum on your hand. I use this when I straighten my hair (sometimes, depending on how dry it looks) and also when I hot roll my hair or use a curling iron to create curls. Get ready for silky hair! ; )