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By Geniece of Beautifully Made

Congratulations! After months (or years) of transitioning you have completed your journey to wearing your hair naturally. Now what? Although you learned a great deal about products that work for your curly hair during your transition, you realize that being completely natural introduces a whole host of interesting questions that you didn’t consider as a transitioner. The biggest question is: How do I build a regimen for my curly hair? Through trial and error I have learned a few simple and helpful ways to go about building a regimen that will leave you neither broke nor frustrated.

I am a firm believer that products are NOT the most important part of a hair regimen. For this reason I hesitate to provide a list of specific brands in this post. However, I know that for many new naturals finding the right set of products is a goal set shortly after going natural. For this reason I will spend the majority of this post on product categories rather than specific products.

Step #1 Find a water based moisturizer

Many products use the word “moisturizer” in the title of the product but upon closer inspection they don’t seem to provide much moisture. A good place to start is the ingredient list. If the first or second product isn’t water then you might want to move on. I will say that products that list water and aloe vera within the first line of the ingredient list tend to be pretty moisturizing. When it comes to a moisturizer I tend to prefer natural or mostly natural product lines. This is the only staple product that I tend to seek out natural lines because, in my experience, my hair is usually moisturized better than drug store product lines.

Step #2: Find a conditioner and shampoo

In general, shampoos that do not contain sulfates or harsh detergents will be more moisturizing. There are quite a few drug store brands and natural lines that fit this criteria that are also wallet friendly. I always say it’s best to experiment with less expensive products because you may find that a product like Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa, which is less than four bucks works well. When it comes to conditioners, you want to get a product that has slip. Slip basically refers to the quality of a conditioner (or a detangling leave in) that makes the hair slippery and thus easier to detangle. I like to get products that specify “dry and damaged” hair on the packaging. While my hair isn’t damaged my line of thinking is that if it works for damaged hair then it’ll work for me. I apply this logic when selecting deep conditioners which you should consider investing in and using twice a month.
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