Best products from r/BlackHair

This is about a 3b. I have 3b hair and while his cut is a lot different than mine the curl is pretty similar.

You need a good daily hair care routine that is going to require some trial and error on your end.

Here's a basic step by step routine:

Detangling - Get in the habit of detangling your hair while its wet. Get yourself a widetooth comb intended for detangling (like this one) and while your hair is wet use it and your fingers to pull out any of your tangles, pay close attention to the back of your head where it would normally rest against any sort of headrest (chair, car, whatever). Don't worry about getting them all, this is something you'll be doing throughout the routine, we're just getting started.

Now that we've loosened up our hair it's time to cleanse it.

Cleanser - It's best to think of this step like face wash, but for your hair, in this step you're getting rid of any oils or products still left in your hair and cleaning it.

There are three main types:

1. Shampoo - We don't want normal shampoo, however, it isn't good for our hair. You want a non-sulfate shampoo, which won't dry out or damage your hair.
   
   
2. Hair Cleanser - Often comes in a creme form, this is one of the more popular shampoo alternatives.
   
   
3. Cowash - This is a conditioner that also cleanses. Sort of like those all in one bottles of body wash/shampoo/conditioners except its just conditioner intended to clean your hair without damaging it like a sulfate shampoo. I currently use a cowash, this one in particular.
   
   With your hair still wet use your cleanser of choice and wash your hair, but before you start washing it out, it's time to break out your detangler comb and work out the tougher tangles now that your hair is lubed up and they'll give easier.
   
   Wash the product out and if you weren't using a cowash, go ahead and use your favorite conditioner (this is going to be a big experiment on your part, personally I cut this out by going the cowash route).
   
   To Dry or Not to Dry?
   
   So the next stype is styling your curls with any number of products, but before we get to that step, there's another thing you're going to want to experiment with, which is, whether or not you want to dry your hair before applying it. Personally, I prefer a good middle ground on this as it gives me the best results, so I'll towel dry my hair a little bit so that it's no longer "wet" but sort of "damp". Experiment with this until you find the best results for you.
   
   Curl Definintion, Anti-Frizz, and Styling
   
   Now that your hair is clean and conditioned and ready to apply hair product let's talk about some hair products. I recommend picking up at least 1 of each of the big options I'll list below because they each do things a little differently and often times you can find yourself mixing and matching and experimenting to find the best results.
   
   The big ones to consider:
   
   
4. Leave-In Conditioner/Hair Milk - These are light hair products that are meant to hydrate/moisturize your hair. They are great to get your hair ready to style and are often used as a refresher to re-define loose curls and combat frizz. In some cases this is all you need to get a nice leave and go hair style. I have been using this leave-in for a few months now and I love it!
   
5. Curl Creme/Smoothie - This product is all about softening, moisturizing, refreshing, conditioning, styling, and combatting frizz, a lot like a Leave-In, and because they are so much like a leave-in you can use them as such, some cremes/smoothies are marketed that way. It's a moistorizing styler that leaves your hair soft to the touch unlike other options. I use this curl smoothie, I have been using this one for 2 months now, but I experimented with a lot before settling on this one.
   
6. Curl Definer/Pomade - In contrast to the Creme/Smoothie option we have the definer/pomade/gel option. These are good for hold, shine, and controlling frizz. They have a sleek/wet/polished look to them as they lock in moisture and often have wax in them. This combination makes them great for maintaining that defined curl look throughout the day, where others you'll have to re-apply or refresh at some point in a longer day. These products will leave your hair crunchy or oily or both, especially if you over-use the product, and if you have naturally oily hair I'd avoid using this product entirely. I have two products for this job. First is Curls' Gel-Les'C, which is pretty light (thanks to using a little gel in its mixture) and doesn't give me too much crunch, which I like. The second is
   Carol's Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey, which I'm really liking.
   
   Once you figure out which products youre going to use, follow their directions and style your hair the way you like.
   
   But just to quickly review my process is as follows:
   
   
7. Wake up, shower, de-tangle.
   
8. Cowash + detangle some more.
   
9. Partially dry the hair, and put in leave-in conditioner.
   
10. I let it sit for a few minutes while I get dressed/make breakfast/whatever.
    
11. Apply either Curl Creme/Smoothie or Pomade and style. My day-to-day is the curl creme and I usually shake and go/finger comb and use a pick to make sure there's an equal amount of "puff" all around.
    
    Hope this helps!

No problem. I'll tell you a bit about my hair care/styling methods. I'm no guru, but I've been using this method for about a year, and I've found that this works for me right now. I'm sure I'll tweak my methods somewhere down the line. Difficult to manage natural hair requires a lot of trial and error. My hair's natural right now. It's been about six and a half years since I last relaxed my hair, and though I'm sometimes tempted to go back, I'm determined not to do so. It always resulted in hair breakage and loss of length. Granted, it was largely because I didn't do a good job of taking care of my hair.

If I know I'm going to be lazy about my hair for the upcoming week, I just put the majority of my effort taking care of my hair into Saturday or Sunday.

On Saturday or Sunday morning, I'll wash it (sulphate free shampoo and conditioner), use the LOC (liquid, oil, conditioner [[creamy leave-in like this one] method to moisturize my hair, let my hair air dry for about 5-6 hours, and then stretch my hair using a blow-dryer.

Since I started using the LOC method, I've found that my hair holds on to moisture longer, and doesn't end up bone dry at the end of the week. I usually stretch my hair with a blow dryer because if I don't, it just becomes too tangled and difficult to manage.

If I'm feeling super lazy and just can't be bothered with my hair, it just goes up in a bun. If I'm feeling a little less lazy, I'll do an overnight flexi-rod set. Flexi-rods can take a while to get used to, but it's one of those things where practice makes perfect, and you can eventually get those things in and out of your hair in no time. I usually put them in before bed while I'm watching TV.

Since I stretch my hair with a blow-dryer, I try to find ways to throw in a bunch of heat protection. After I wash my hair, I section it into 4 pieces, and just work around my head. I start with Aphogee style and wrap mousse for the liquid (it's also a heat protectant), then I use IC Fantasia straightening serum as the oil, and finish off with the Cantu shea butter I linked to before. After that, I twist each section so my hair can absorb the moisture, and to get a start of getting my hair in a stretched state. Later on in the day, I blow-dry each section. If I need my hair to dry faster, I just take the twists out 1 or 2 hours before I'm ready to blow dry. I try to get my hair to air dry as much as possible so I can expose my hair to as little heat from the blow-dryer as possible.

If I plan on flat ironing my hair, I follow that same method, but also use Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Flat Iron Perfector (yes, you guessed it, more heat protection).

All of that can sound like a lot, and right now, it's a bit too much for me at the moment. I honestly don't like having to deal with my hair most of the time, so I'm probably going to braid or twist my hair soon. If you're like me, and can't be bothered to pay an arm and a leg to get your hair braided, or simply find someone to do it (I live in a very white part of my city) find a day to learn how to do extensions yourself. Eventually, all it'll cost you is a Saturday and however many packs of hair you'll need. And it's a great time to binge watch some Netflix.

This hair can be frustrating. I know...

I would not recommend washing your hair so often. Maybe once a week at most. Condition your hair in the shower every time you wash it and deep condition it once a week. If you feel like you need to wet your hair in the shower to style it I would suggest just co-washing it.

Condition your hair in the shower every time you wash it and deep condition it once a week.

Shampoo for natural hair - SheaMoisture® Raw Shea Butter

Helps retain moisture which will prevent dry, brittle hair and breakage.

In shower conditioner - Aussie 3 Moist

Curly hair holy grail. The goddess of soft, moisturized hair.

Leave in conditioner - Kinky-Curly Knot Today

Leave in conditioner #2 - Design Essentials


Scalp nutrients Jojoba Oil

Don't forget to care for your scalp too! Its the most important step in getting healthy hair as the scalp is where the hair is made. Lightly apply the oil to the scalp with a tipped applicator and massage into the skin with the pads of your fingers. Do this like once or twice a week at the least.

Clarifying Shampoo - Shea Moisture Sacha Inchi Oil

Use once a month. Helps remove the product buildup from the moisturizers. This step is important because buildup could prevent the next round of conditioning from doing a thorough job, leaving your hair dry once again, and frizzy on top of that.


Also, the way you shampoo and dry your hair is important too. Try not to rub your hair into the towel when you dry it. Instead, pat it dry. Like this and this. Not this nor that


If your hair is long enough for a banana clip it should be long enough for braids. If your're comfortable with wigs I would recommend a good lace front wig, even if its synthetic (FridayNightHair has good synthetic ones). With a wig you don't have to really do anything with your hair besides keep it clean and moisturized. And most importantly, wrap your hair with something silky at night!!!

>I see some people say L is liquid (water) while others say L is leave-in conditioner.

It depends on your personal preference. I think if your hair is a finer grade you should use water but that is just what I do.

>Is pure olive oil good enough for O?

Yes but it depends on your hair's porosity. If olive oil works for you that's fine. I prefer fractionated coconut oil personally but my hair is pretty porous. Grapeseed oil is also good, so is castor oil, for porous hair. Low porosity hair likes lighter oils such as sweet almond or argan. It depends on what you like on your hair.

>And what is creme? How does it differ from leave-in?

A heavier moisturizer than what you use for leave in. If you're using water for your LOC you can probably get away with using leave-in for your cream step. As I Am Double Butter Rich Daily Moisturizer is an example of a commercial moisturizing cream for the hair. You can also use some type of pomade, and many people use whipped shea butter instead of a commercial cream. I guess it just depends on your preference.

>I have the horrid 4c, low porosity hair for anyone wondering.

Nuu :C don't be mean to your hairs

Edit:

oh btw if your hair is low porosity you should put your conditioners in the microwave before you apply them I think.

Easy.

Get it soaking wet let usually the best time to shampoo and conditionit. dry like 50% then do what is called a blow out although his hair isn't really blow out to the max

This can do the trick for you Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Styler, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013HJEA4C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wY9lDb938VJXK

Also use Heat protectant so you don't burn your hair from the hot air.

This is often the best method to get super tidy braids.

I love Design Essentials. I have red ends on my hair so those bits are dryer than the rest of my hair. This hair masque by Shea Moisture leaves my hair looking so juicy after I rinse it out. I use the Almond and Avocado leave in conditioner always. For any style I do including braid outs or wash n gos, I always use Curl Stretching Crème and Eco Styler Gel. Throughout the week to refresh or moisturize, I’ll either add oil (I’d link it but they don’t make it anymore) or spray some water and add a little bit of leave in conditioner.

My hair is also low porosity, so even though we have a similar texture what works for me may not work for you. After experimenting for a year I finally found a regimen that works for me :)

I want this!

I use coconut oil and Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Coconut Curling Cream (whew!) for styling, Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Intense Conditioning Treatment for deep conditioning, and Lustrasilk Keratin Amino Acid Leave-in Creme Conditioner for everyday/styling. It's a new addition and a bit watery though, so we'll see how it turns out.

I've never used product until literally today :x The ones that have the product in it are the ones with me in the red shirt

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008D5I61Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's what I used/tried out today, and I love it. Only day I've ever used it but it gave life to my hair, and for the first time in my life I actually feel I could do something with my hair hahah

You're gonna want to get this and this. Get a high skin fade and style the top with the product, use the cream first and then the gel to lock it in. Blow dry it if necessary.