My Twisting Regimen

Last week I shared this advice with a fellow CurlyNikki reader and she told me today that it is really helping her hair's softness and moisture levels. When anyone asks me what I do to my hair, this is what I tell them...

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It took me a while to figure out how to retain moisture, so don't feel discouraged. It sounds like you have the process right, but you may not have found the products that work well for you. One thing to remember is that oil does not equal moisture... a true moisturizer should be a water-based product such as a conditioner (rinse out or leave-in) or a moisturizing cream. I personally prefer to use conditioners to keep my hair moist for two reasons: They actually absorb into the cuticle of the hair, and they can be "revived" so to speak by adding a little water once it dries.

I never could get the whole "moisturize, then seal" with oil concept down... I would have globs of white crap all in my hair that way. So now I mix my leave-in moisturizer with the oil before I apply it to my hair, so I cut two steps down to one. Wash and go's can be prone to dryness, so doing twist outs help me to retain moisture because your curls are more clumped together, making it harder for air to suck the life out of them... My moisture routine goes a little something like this:

1. Shampoo (only if necessary..when conditioner won't cut through the build-up..and only one lather) Creme of Nature Original Formula for Color Treated Hair

2. Cowash with Herbal Essences Color Me Happy (conditioners for colored hair have more moisturizers...use them regardless to whether you have color or not) ....

3. Fully detangle section by section with the conditioner still in... (I use quite a bit..loosen a section with your fingers..then use a wide tooth..then a fine tooth to make sure all tangles are out)

4. Rinse completely.. (try to keep your hair as straight as possible so you don't re-tangle.. lol)

5. Twist your hair in small sections, applying the leave-in/oil mix to each section (don't just apply it..comb it through to get all the strands coated with it) before twisting. Cantu Shea Soft Leave-in mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Coconut oil is good for warmer months)

6. Let it air dry overnight (sit under the dryer for no more than 20-30 mins if you need to speed things up)

7. Carefully take each twist down in the morning...slowly..so you don't frizz out the ends. Use your fingers to fluff the roots *only* to cover any spaces you don't want showing.

8. Wear the satin bonnet at night, and spray it in the morning with a little water to soften it up a bit...not soaking wet..just mist all over enough to get your fingers down to the roots to shape it back up. I don't add extra product during the week to keep my hair from getting nasty...just water... remember water equals moisture.The most important step here is mixing the moisturizer with the oil and making sure you coat each strand.

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The pic you see above were the results of this method...Try it and let me know what you think!

Smooches