Happy new year you guys!!!!
Hopefully y'all are staying hydrated and keeping your hair moisturized😅.
so some of you asked me on facebook how i prep my hair for protective styling so i figured i should just do a post about it n so here it is😃.
To prepare my natural hair for protective styling, i follow the following steps;

PREPOOING
Depending on the state of my hair, i might prepoo or i might not. And if i decided to prepoo,my product of choice is almost always coconut oil as its composition allows it to penetrate the hair strands and moisturize it which in turn prevents breakage and split ends. It also helps promote scalp health and prevent dandruff.


CLEANSING
I always try to do a thorough cleanse before protective-styling or else i end up unplaiting due to the itching that comes with product buildup.so i usually shampoo with a cleansing shampoo or i will do a clay wash with bentonite clay.

DEEP CONDITIONING
Never skip this step as it is responsible for keeping hair healthy by preventing dryness and damage. Prior to protective styling, my deep conditioner of choice is usually a protein one unless otherwise. I tend to use a protein product because it helps with strengthening the hair so that it does not break when braiding or doing cornrows.

DETANGLING
This is the most important step and it needs to be extremely thorough or you will be involved in a serious game of tug of war with your stylist lol. I usually finger detangle then follow it up with a wide toothed comb from ends to root in small sections.

BLOW DRYING
yes you heard right lol.
i do use heat here n there nowadays.
But if you are on a heat free journey, u can simply do African threading to stretch it.
so to blow dry,i unravel a single twist,apply leave in conditioner then apply a pea size amount of grapeseed oil as a heat protectant. Then i proceed to blow dry that section on low heat using the tension method and twist it away. I do the same for the rest of my hair.
when the entire head is done,i proceed to getting a protective style done.
When the styling is done, i apply oil to my scalp.

TIPS
1. when it comes to protective styling, i usually get a stylist to come do it from my house.That way, i can easily give instructions without intimidation.
2. Always instruct your stylist to leave out your edges. Trust me the last thing you want is a self inflicted receding hairline lol, it ain't cute.
3. Do not do your hair style too tight least you lose your beautiful strands to traction alopecia.
4. Heavy hair styles are a no no. again, traction alopecia guys👆.

So thats it guys😊.
If you found this post helpful kindly let me know in the comments below.
😘😘😘

So a few weeks ago i promised you guys via facebook that i would do a blog post on whats in my oil bottle and the benefits,well here it is.

1.coconut oil

Of all the oils known to man lol,this is my absolute favourite oil because;
1.it has a lot of uses and benefits.
2.its cheap(k45 for a 500ml bottle)
3.its readily available so i do not have to search high and low to get myself a bottle.I go though one  and a half bottles of coconut oil per year.
I use coconut oil for pre-pooing,hot oil treatments,deep conditioning and scalping.
Benefits
-Its one of the few oils that actually penetrate the hair strand.
-it stimulates hair growth.
-softens hair,adds shine and luster.
-prevents splits ends and breakage.
-fights against scalp conditions like dandruff.
-it prevents hair loss.
-conditions hair

2.extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)

This is my second favorite oil.its equally readily available in most supermarkets countrywide and fairly cheap compared to other oils.I use this oil just as i use coconut oil.

Benefits
-This oil also penetrates the hair strands.
-it conditions hair and scalp.
-seals in moisture and  provides shine.
-helps prevent split ends.
-softens hair,soothes scalp and prevents scalp dryness.

3.jamaican black castor oil(jbco)

The 3rd oil on my list is the jbco.This is quite expensive for me therefore am light handed when using it.I only use it in my whipped shea butter mix.i also add a little bit to my hair oil mix which i predominantly use for deep conditioning and scalping.I have recently started using it on its own around my edges as the full wigs have lighten my hairline.
Benefits
-prevents hair loss and promotes hair growth.
-seals moisture into hair.
-reduces and prevents hair damages.
-helps condition and moisturise hair and scalp.
-it helps prevent fungal scalp infections because of its anti-fungal properties.
-promotes overall hair health.
I recently also started using ordinary castor oil.The only difference between the two castor oils is that jbco is roasted before been pressed and the ordinary one is not.The roasting explains the difference in colour and ph levels(jbco is dark and has a higher PH while ordinary castor oil is light and has a slightly lower PH).overall jbco has added benefits.

4.Teatree oil.

This is my 4th favourite oil.I love how a tiny bottle goes a long way.Not really a fun of the smell but it has awesome benefits.
Benefits.
-this essential oil has anti-fungal,anti-bacterial,anti-viral,anti-septic and anti inflammatory properties therefore it will prevent almost all scalp conditions e.g dandruff,psoriasis and even head lice.
-promotes hair growth.
-prevents dry,itchy scalp.
-prevents hair loss.

5.Grapeseed oil

This oil is fairly new in my regimen.I only started using it this year.its also a cheap oil.
Benefits
-Its a great heat protectant(high smoking point of 400 to 450 degrees fahrenheit).If you like using direct heat on your hair get yourself a bottle of this oil.
-helps seal moisture into hair.
-helps alleviate dry scalp.

So there you have it,my top five oils.

What are your favourite oils?how do you use them?

Let me know by commenting below or via social media @myzambiancurls on both facebook and instalgram.
Stay blessed.
sheila.

I wash my hair once every week and i try to keep it as simple as possible.below is a list of what i do on a typical wash day; 

scalp massage
I massage my scalp with an oil mixture that usually consists of extra virgin oil,coconut oil,jamaican black castor oil,tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil.This helps increase circulation to my scalp which helps with hair growth.am also prone to dandruff and this oil combination helps with that.previously i used to do this after washing my hair but i suspect the thickness of the jamaican black castor oil was responsible for my buildup so i decided to switch it up.



Detangle
I detangle my hair in sections with water and tressemme naturals or suave naturals conditioner using my fingers.if hair is not too detangled,i followup the finger detangling with a wide toothed comb.

cleanse
what i use to cleanse my hair is highly dependant on the state of my hair.if hair is very dirty i use african black soap or a sulphate free shampoo.if not too dirty,i just co-wash with a conditioner.
Once a month i clarify my hair with bentonite clay mixed with either water or apple cider vinegar.

bentonite clay

shea moisture shampoo and african black sooap

deep condition
am a product junkie"covers face"so this part of my routine is constantly changing but the method stays the same.almost always i add oils and some honey to my conditioner just to make it extra moisturising.once in a while i add glycerine as it is a great humectant.
I apply my conditioner in two sections and cover with two plastic bags(lets take a moment to thank shoprite and spar for being so generous and supplying us with so many plastics that we dont have to spend our coins to buy shower caps hehehe).i proceed to sit under my heating cap for 30minutes then let my hair cool down for another 30minutes.I rinse with cool water to close the cuticles which were previously opened by heat.i blot out excess water from my hair with a Tshirt.

conditioners

moisturising
 Am in love with the LCO method as it keeps my hair moisturised for long.for those who are new to the word LCO it simply stands for L for liquid/leave in,then C for cream and O for oil.my leave in of choice is usually the giovanni lightweight moisture leave in then my cream of choice is almost always my whipped shea butter mix then a light coat of extra virgin olive oil.I do this in sections and twist my hair as i go.
if my hair feels dry in between wash days i simply spritz with water,apply shea butter mix then oil.sometimes i swap out the shea butter with shea moisture's jamaican black castor oil styling lotion.

shea moisture styling lotion and my whipped shea butter mix

giovanni leave in conditioner

Thats basically it.
what does your current washday routine look like?let me know in the comments section below.
stay blessed,
sheila.