This is the products I use and the steps I take to create a beautiful braid and curl, my favorite style.
What I use:
Dr. Miracles Tingling shampoo and condtioner (one product)
Suave conditoners (mostly coconut and green apple scents)
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner
Melted Shea Butter
What I do:
Washing ->I wash my hair with Dr. Miracles tingling shampoo and conditioner (I don't apply shampoo down the length of my hair, I only apply it to my scalp and let the water flow do the rest). I wash my hair with shampoo only ever couple of months, other times I wash with either conditioner or diluted Apple Cider Vinegar.
Deep Conditoning->I usually 'make' my own deep conditioners. I use mayo or yogurt, eggs, olive oil and a bit of melted shea butter. It's not the most amazing deep conditoner, but I haven't found any products that makes my hair feel they way this concoction does. My little brother always makes fun of me when I do this, he says that I'm feeding my hair. But I figure, If I can eat it, then it's good enough for my hair and it's cheaper.
Styling -> Ok, my favorite styling product is Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner. I'm not strictly on the 'conditioner-only method' (http://www.tightlycurly.com/technique/curlyprimer/) because if I find a good styling product that produces similar results as Hello Hydration, I will use it. I have tried many styling products and eventually they all make my hair feel horrible.
Directly out of the shower (and I mean directly, any air-drying time is no good) while my hair is still soaking wet I separate my hair into small sections, and I apply my the conditioner then I braid or plat if you prefer, that section as close to the root as possible. I don't braid it down all the way to the bottom, I leave about two and a half inches of hair at the bottom un-braided and I roll it on either the black or the green roller. The black roller is an inch and a half and the green is an inch.
I do between 8 and 12 braids. I let the braids dry overnight. If I have to wake up early in the morning and there's not enough time to dry, I would take a towel and tightly squeeze my hair( before I braid) to get all of the excess water out.
In the morning when I wake up my hair looks similar to this:
Before I take the braids out, I melt a little Shea butter between my fingers and I run it down the braid. The shea butter keeps it soft and shiny. When I first take my braids out, the curls and waves are very defined and I don't have much volume. So after lots of fluffing, it ends up looking like this:
This is usually how my hair looks by day 2 or 3 and I love it more than day one.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment box.
