My $25 healthy 4B hair care routine

I presently have really healthy 4B hair, although that hasn’t always been the case.

My hair used to be shaved off along with my male siblings when I was younger. When I let it grow, it grew slowly and was very hard to manage, someone always had to do it for me.

Until I went to boarding school, and for the first time in my life I learned that hair was something beautiful and should be take care of and most importantly should be long.

The one thing I knew about hair care was that I had a really good moisturizer and that it solves all my problems. It was the only thing that made my hair really soft and it smelled amazing. It’s been discontinued since.

My hair is in a better place now so I find it easy to try other products till I found what worked for me. Because most Afro girls go through the same thing, what worked for me has worked for a lot of the people around me.

Gone is that short tough hair I had. My hair is now long enough, it’s very soft and I can’t believe how shiny it is.

I would like to report that before this happened there was a myriad of natural concoctions I tried that served different purposes for my hair. If you’d like a detailed post on the natural ‘remedies’ that made my hair fuller, softer, and longer, comment at the end of this post.

I’ve gotten over my hair obsession though, which lasted about seven or eight years. And now I’m trying to do the bare minimum to keep my hair healthy, soft and shiny.

My hair are routine I admit could be more consistent, I could moisturize more often but the bare minimum I’m doing has worked for me. It’s cheap and doesn’t take a lot of time because of the products I’m using.

1. Comb

Your hair can’t get healthy if you’re always ripping it off. I use a strong wide tooth comb that is not too wide to leave my tangles unattended. I have used this one for years and I am happy to report it has not broken yet.

Your hair texture might be different from my own so if you have something that works for you, stick with it. If you’d like something that works, you can get this comb.

2. Satin ribbon

I use a satin ribbon to tie my hair because i have found that it doesn’t take out my hair as I’m removing it. Something I’ve found other ribbons including cotton ones doing. These are very easy to find, or make.

3. Shampoo

I’m not very picky with my shampoo i use. but I make sure it takes out all day built up from my oils and hair products.

lately I’ve been using the dark and lovely Shampoo even though that’s not my first choice but it gets the job done. I’ve also been using a natural shampoo in addition to that. Most natural shampoos don’t take out buildup as much as chemical shampoos do so I use the natural ones for my second wash.

If you wash your hair often, natural shampoos should be fine (I wash my hair once every two weeks) but otherwise use a chemical shampoo.

The natural shampoo that I use when I don’t want to use chemical shampoo is black soap. I use one that is specifically formulated for hair because they have essential hair oils and are gentle on the scalp while removing buildup. The one I use is made locally but here’s a link to a natural hair shampoo that has the same ingredients as mine. Just do your own test before you get it.

4. Deep conditioner

No matter what hair texture you have, the one product I believe everyone must have and use is a deep conditioner. I use one by VitalE. I get the biggest size as it last so long smells amazing. It leaves my hair super soft and shiny.

This is one product, in addition to the natural shampoo that has not only maintained my hair but directly had effects on its health. I’ll leave it in my hair for 20 to 30 minutes. You can use it to steam your hair as well.

If you are to leave with one thing from this post, it should be with a receipt waiting on this order. You can shop for it here.

5. Leave in conditioner

I don’t think leave-in conditioner is a must have in your hair care routine just because the deep conditioner i mentioned does the job. I only use this when I want moisture added to my hair because I’m not very consistent with oiling my hair.

I don’t always have time to spray water then oil my hair as my hair is full (if you’re not oiling your hair this way, you’re doing it wrong).

The leave in conditioner is a temporary solution to add moisture to my hair till I’m able to oil it. At the least your hair needs moisture to grow, your hair will not be able to retain nutrients and grow if it’s dry. It’ll break.

I use the dark and lovely leave-in moisturizer but any water based one is fine.

6. Hair oil

Everything you’ve added to your hair so far will not do you any good unless you seal it. Hair oils do that by trapping the moisture and previous products you’ve put into your hair so it gets absorbed it without evaporating and rubbing off on other surfaces.

I’ve used hair oils like coconut, Amla, rosemary, onion oil (yes, I’m not ashamed to say it – it helped my hair grow and get darker), avocado oil, almond oil, and oil mixtures that are sold specifically for hair.

My favorite will always be Shea butter + rosemary. They are a great combination for moisturizing, sealing, reducing breakage, and stimulating hair growth.

I get natural Shea butter and whip it with rosemary oil. Recently I’ve been boiling natural rosemary herb in melted Shea butter then I’ll whip it afterwards. You can get whatever form is easier for you.

7. Satin scarf

I use a satin scarf immediately after my hair care routine so I don’t rub off my products on my pillow, or the couch rest or any surfaces. It also reduces moisture loss from the hair.

I wear it to sleep only when my hair routine is fresh and the oils will rub on my pillow, I don’t believe it reduces hair loss as people say but if it has worked for you, keep doing it.

I don’t think you need anything fancy or expensive unless you have a hair condition like severe dryness or hair loss that needs targeted care.

You can if you want to, of course . But if you’re reading this you either don’t have the money to spend and just don’t care too.

This is the bare minimum hair care routine that has helped me maintain and grow really healthy hair and they will work for anyone since it’s all natural and general.

Make sure you pay attention to hair needs. There may be a time when you will need to splurge to get something that works for you. Don’t hesitate to do it, your hair care is as important as your skincare.