The Importance of a Hair Care Routine & How to Make One

We all see and hear many women talk about their hair care routine.

It is a detailed and lengthy process that many people may feel is unnecessary for their hair weaves.

I am here to tell you that all of that time and effort pays off! 😍

Look no further than the article to get all the information you need on having a hair care routine!

What Is a Hair Care Routine?

A hair care routine is what you do to your hair every day or weekly to keep it looking beautiful and healthy.

Having a hair care routine is vital if you are trying to grow healthy hair and maintain your sew-in extensions.

This routine can range from spritzing your hair with water to the full-on LOC (Liquid, Oil, Cream) method.

Why Is a Hair Care Routine Necessary?

You might think the idea of a hair care routine is overhyped by naturalists on social media, but not having a method only hurts you.

Caring for your hair the right way is a significant key to health and hair growth. I cannot stress this fact enough.

If you are not adequately taking care of your hair, this causes breakage and damage, and nobody wants that.

A hair care routine is essential to get your hair to flourish and be at its healthiest state.

Hair Care Tips

Taking care of yourself does not just stop after doing your routine in the morning.

Here are some hair care routine tips that everyone should incorporate into their weekly or monthly routines.

Trim Your Ends

To prevent ends from splitting, you need to trim them.

It is ideal to do this at least once every six months to keep your hair in good shape and to promote hair growth.

Avoid Excessive Heat

I cannot stress this enough.

If you use heat, the consequences can often be very severe for your hair.

Use heating tools in moderation to prevent your hair from a lot of damage.

Do Not Forget Your Scalp

Your scalp needs some TLC, too!

Oiling your scalp and massaging it can help stimulate growth.

Deep Condition Often

To keep your hair clean and moisturized, it is an excellent idea to deep condition your hair at least once every two weeks.

It is necessary for your hair to get hydration.

Brush Your Hair Carefully

Not only does harsh brushing hurt your scalp, but it can also pull out unnecessary hair.

Be careful, ladies! You want to start by slowly brushing out your ends and work your way up.

Keep Your Hands Out of Your Hair

It might be tempting to play in your hands, but it grows best when you keep your hands out.

Just let it do its job.

What Needs to Be in Your Routine

The most important thing in any routine is making sure your hair is moisturized at all times.

When your hair does not have moisture, it makes it more susceptible to breakage.

You should include a day for some deep treatment, whether it be conditioning or a protein treatment. This will help keep your strands strong and healthy.

Most people would recommend these treatments weekly or every other week.

Some people think that shampooing is terrible for your hair, but it is important to shampoo your hair at least once a month or every two weeks.

Shampooing is essential when trying to maintain a clean scalp and clean hair strands. After piling products onto your hair, it can weigh your strands down, and shampooing lifts all this dirt and buildup.

Creating Your Routine

Creating your routine is very easy as long as you know what type of hair you have.

Not every hair routine works the same for each person, so make sure to tweak your routine to match the products that work best for you.

Here are a few tips for creating the best hair care routine for your hair type whether it's curly hair or kinky straight hair.

Dealing with Hair Porosity

One of the most important things you need to figure out before creating a routine is the porosity of your hair.

Hair porosity refers to your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture.

Knowing your hair's porosity is very helpful in maintaining your hair's health.

Here is how to figure out your hair's porosity:

Method 1: The Float Test

Fill a glass or bowl with water.

Take a few strands of clean hair and put it in water. It is important to do this with clean hair because oils and other hair products may change the results.

Watch the hair for 2-4 minutes. If your hair sinks immediately, it has a high porosity. If your hair is still floating, then it has a low porosity.

And if your hair is slowly sinking, it has a normal porosity.

Method 2: The Slide Test

Grab a strand of hair on your head.

Slide your fingers up the hair shaft going from the ends to the scalp.

If it is bumpy, you have high porosity hair, and if it is smooth, you have low porosity hair.

Method 3: The Spray Bottle Test

Take a small section of hair from your head and secure the rest.

Spray that section with some water. You want to dampen it. If the water sits on top of your hair or you see water beads, then you have low porosity.

If the water is absorbed quickly by the hair, then you have high porosity.

And if the water sits on your hair for some time and eventually absorbs, then you have normal porosity.

Now that you've figured out what kind of porosity you have, what does this all mean for your hair?

Low Porosity

I have low porosity hair and know that it can be challenging to make sure my hair's thoroughly moisturized.

Steam treatment is honestly your best friend when you are doing your routines.

Steam opens up your hair cuticles, which allows moisture to penetrate your hair shaft and give you nicely moisturized hair.

Traits of Low Porosity Hair:

• Your hair has closed cuticles, so moisture does not seep into the hair easily resistant to moisture
• Products sit on your hair instead
• Does not absorb hair color or treatments easily
• Water beads up on the hair instead of mixing in
• Hair takes a long time to dry
• Looks healthy but doesn't have much hair elasticity or volume

Regular/High Porosity

I honestly envy you if you do have high porosity hair.

But your routine does not need as much effort because moisture easily penetrates your hair shafts.

For day-to-day moisture, I would recommend some leave-in conditioner or a curling pudding. You could even spritz your hair with some water and be fine.

Traits of Normal/High Porosity:

• Absorbs just enough or too much moisture but can retain it
• Looks and feels moisturized
• Tangles easily because the cuticles get caught on each other Hair dries quickly
• Hair tends to be thick
• Hair is shiny, healthy, and volumized

Damaged

We all know having damaged hair can be an absolute struggle.

When your split ends have split ends, shampoos, conditioners, and masks with polyquaternium-28 and PVMA copolymer are good for you.

This chemical acts like glue, which prevents your hair from splitting down your hair shaft. It is also essential that you dust your ends at least every month to get rid of the damage.

Protective styles are also your best friend because then you do not have to manipulate your hair as much.

Color Treated

Having a good routine is extremely important when you have color in your hair.

Dyeing your hair can dry out your strands, so it is important to deep condition and make sure your hair's always moisturized.

But depending on what type of hair dye you use, you should probably only shampoo your hair about once a month to prevent the color from fading.

Make sure to buy products that are meant for color-treated hair as well.

If you want to get crazy with color, get a Fuchsia Straight Wig or Dark Green Straight Wig.

Natural

People think natural hair can withstand anything, but that is not the case.

Out of all the hair types, natural hair is the most fragile because of the shape of our hair strands. I would recommend that you invest in getting a heating cap.

Heating caps are your best friends for days when you need to be in deep condition.

To help your hair retain moisture and not become brittle, make sure that you deep condition it at least once every week or every two weeks.

Relaxed

Some people have the misconception that you aren't supposed to wash and deep condition relaxed hair often, but that is not true.

Relaxed hair needs even more moisture because of the chemicals used to alter your hair. Make sure to keep your hair moisturized with oils and serums daily.

What Should You Do Now?

With all this great information, you should go home and create a routine that is best for your hair.

Don't forget to try to find the perfect hair care routine. It's a trial-and-error process, and you may have to go through a few products before finding out what works for your hair best.

Every naturalista has to try different products and use several different methods to help understand their hair better and find the right way to care for it. 🌿

It is important to remember to be patient with your hair and take your time to learn what it can and cannot take. Best of luck!

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