I did have a specific post on moisturising and sealing planned for today, but based on the emails I have been receiving recently which seem to all touch on the same subject (a lot of you ladies are still confused about what step comes first, what conditioner to use when, etc) I thought it might be beneficial to quickly run through the steps again.
Wash: This can either be with a non-sulphate cleanser (like DILUTED Dr Bronner's) or shampoo (e.g. any shampoo in the Giovanni range), or a cowash, i.e. washing with a silicone-free conditioner like Herbal Essence Hello Hydration (well, this does contain a 'cone, but a not-so-bad kind that doesn't allow build up), Suave Naturals, or even Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner.
Condition: Either do a normal condition (where you apply conditioner, detangle and rinse), or do a deep condition (apply conditioner, cover head with a plastic cap and use heat, or put a towel over the plastic cap and use your body heat for at least an hour, then detangle and rinse). You can use the same kind of conditioner for both of these- something like one of the Aubrey Organics conditioners, Giovanni Smooth-As-Silk or Giovanni 50:50, or Elucence are ideal.
Leave-In Conditioner: Apply a leave-in conditioner like Giovanni Direct Leave-In or even the Elucence is also good as a leave-in. It is a very versatile conditioner as it can be used for all 3 purposes.
Moisturise: Most people with dry hair (like me) need to use a separate moisturiser over their leave-in. I use my Shea Aloe whip.
Seal: Apply a LIGHT coating of oil to lock in moisture. You don't have to apply this to the whole hair strand, you can apply just to the end if you prefer.
Style: whatever takes your fancy- twists, braids, a loose 'fro... the world's your oyster. My styling stage tends to run concurrently with the moisturising stage, as I twist each section as I apply the Shea Aloe whip, and then seal the ends of each twist.
Just try and remember the simple steps above, and you won't go wrong.
