My hair care routine

I often get questions about my hair care routine, so I thought I would write a post about it in case you were wondering too. As you can tell from all of my pictures, I have a lot of hair. What many people don’t know is that it’s actually really curly. I don’t usually wear it natural because my curls drop quickly no matter what I do. It’s a combination of it naturally not holding curls well and all of the stuff I’ve done to it over the years. It just falls flat.

Considering all I’ve put my hair through, it’s been holding out pretty well and I think it has much to do with how I care for it in between heating tools. Truth is, I don’t “do” much at all. My routine is actually pretty simple because, to be honest, I’m pretty lazy about it. It’s a lot of hair. I don’t have the time and the older I get the less time I want to spend on it. I can totally see why women eventually chop their hair off.

Related: Love your curls

Here’s what I do and if it helps you in any way, let me know!

1. Wash my hair 2 times a week

My hair is naturally dry so it stays looking fresh for a couple of days. I typically wash it on Fridays and Tuesdays. If it’s a crazy week, I rely on dry shampoo if I need to go somewhere. I work from home 4 days out of the week so my hair isn’t something I’m fussing with too much and that’s a good thing. It’s important to let your natural oils do its thing. But not for too long because then that’s just ew.

2. I switch up shampoos and conditioners

Years ago, a hair stylist told me that I should not commit to one brand when it comes to washing and conditioning my hair. She said that the hair eventually becomes immune to it and loses its luster. I have not researched this statement but I will say that when I do try something new, my hair gladly responds to it. Until it doesn’t anymore. From experience, this seems pretty accurate.

Related: Dominican blowout

3. Natural oils

I grew up in the Bronx in a Irish neighborhood but I wasn’t too far from a Jamaican and Indian community. It was the mom and pop beauty shops in these areas that really taught me how to get shine and bounce. They used a lot of natural oils in their hair, like coconut, argan, almond, castor, you name it. My go-to has been coconut oil for the last, wow, 25 years or so. I apply it after every wash whether I leave it curly or not. I honestly think that has been what’s kept my hair healthy and full. With all the colors my hair has been, much of it should have fallen out by now. I swear by my coconut oil.

4. Limit hot tool use

I use salon quality hair dryers. The kind that shuts the electricity off. Otherwise, it would take me two hours to do this mountain of hair. I have it down to about 40 minutes. And since I only wash twice a week, the amount of heat to my hair is not that bad. I also don’t really use curling or straightening irons too often unless I’m going out to dinner or a special occasion. Honestly, I’m too lazy and I don’t like to do look so “done” all the time.

5. Eat lots of greens

I know, I know. You’re sick of hearing “eat your veggies” but it is so true. I’ve been slacking but when I’m up on my green juice intake my hair and skin looks glorious. Diet has a lot (A LOT) to do with hair health. I know many women who were losing their hair because of lack of nutrients or an underlying digestive issues. When I stopped eating gluten (it was causing all types of inflammation and digestion problems), my hair got thicker. My mom recently came to visit and asked me if I did something new because my hair was so much fuller than the last time she saw me. Better diet. That’s it.

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