Hello, Rachael here! I’m a low maintenance kind of girl so I don’t spend much time on my hair, but I still like it to look and feel good. I find that protective styling and a simple routine help me to keep my hair looking and feeling its best in the minimum time.
Weekly
Washing and twisting my hair once a week takes about 30 mins in total and helps me to keep it soft and tangle free. To wash, I rinse my hair and then massage a coin size amount of Swish into my scalp. I smooth the lather through my hair then squeeze out the excess. I then rinse briefly before applying a generous dollop of conditioner to my hair. I focus on working the conditioner into the ends as I finger detangle, leave it for a few minutes then I rinse it all out and squeeze out excess water before wrapping a towel round my head. After a few minutes, I pat my hair dry with a towel, apply Seal to help my hair absorb the moisture and dry faster, then detangle some more with a Tangle Teezer! I apply Smooth in sections, then I flat twist my damp hair using Afrocenchix styling butter (still in prototype phase.) The next day I apply a little Soothe to my fingertips before taking out my twists and either have an updo, bun, twist out or flat twisted style. If I’m in a rush after I wash (when I make the mistake of doing it in the morning) then I skip the twisting and wear my hair in a puff. I usually need to detangle before twisting in the evening as my hair shrinks a lot and is prone to tangles. During the week I use a combination of Sheen, Seal and Smooth depending on how moisturised my hair feels, and I sleep in a satin bonnet to stop my hair from drying out or breaking during the night.
Monthly(ish)
About once every two months I deep condition. I really should start doing this weekly as my hair loves it! I cover my hair in a shower cap and towel and leave my conditioner (again, in prototype phase) in for about 30 minutes.
Once in a while...
Every now and then I have my hair in twists for a month or two, and I use Sheen to keep my style fresh. I wash my scalp with Swish and if my scalp gets itchy then Soothe comes to the rescue! I rarely straighten or blow dry, in fact it’s been well over a year since I did either! My hair just doesn’t really like heat and I find trying to use it a time consuming and frustrating process. I have my hair trimmed by Sara about twice a year and experiment with colour using natural, bleach free hair dye.
How do you keep your hair in top shape? I would love any suggestions to improve my routine!
Editor’s Tip:
Looking for a natural way to dye your hair like Rachael? Why not try Henna? Henna has been used for centuries to colour the skin and hair and is a more natural alternative to the colours and dyes you may find on your supermarket shelf or at the salon.
Henna can be used to dye hair a range of colours including deep brown, red, and black.
Henna is readily available to buy online but a note of caution: avoid anything called black or neutral henna as these can contain the chemical paraphenylenediamine (PPD). Whilst this can lawfully be included in hair dyes it’s heavily restricted. Instead look for henna that has a natural reddish-brown colour and always check the ingredients list and carry out a patch test before using.
Want to go for brighter colours? Watch Rachael try purple temporary hair wax below! Worried about washing it out? Don't worry our sulphate free shampoo Swish has got your back.