Speedy Styling: Saving time but not scrimping on your hair needs - June 9, 2013

[ Picked up some cute hair accessories! ]

I like fast, quick, easy hair styling! That's one of the greatest things about my hair texture and current hair length. Though I did vow to take care of my hair properly and to follow the alternating shampoo/co-wash routine process, sometimes I just don't have the time. This is not to say that I neglect this process or don't complete the essential steps in keeping my hair clean and moisturized; I simply found quicker ways to achieve it all. My main concerns are my curls tangling or getting dry. The following step by step process is typically what I do when I have less than an hour to get ready or when I want to quickly condition my curls during the week. This is what I did today:

*please note that the switches from present & past tense are from my added side notes. I'm an English tutor, I need to cover my bases haha*

I thoroughly wet my hair in the shower, squeezed the excess water out and then applied my rinse out conditioner by Aveda, made with natural ingredients like rosemary, mint and plant extracts etc. I could have also used my Curl Junkie Beauticurls leave-in conditioner except I ran out of it the other day! I make sure to apply the conditioner to damp not soaking wet hair so the conditioner actually penetrates my hair and doesnt get super diluted by the water. I always make sure my curls are completely covered and then I begin to detangle with my fingers. I started from the hair by my neck, then moved to the sides and middle and then finished with the top. I usually saturate the middle of my hair with ALOT of conditioner because I find most of my knots and tangles are here. This conditioning/detangling process here takes about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of tangles!

After rinsing my hair, I covered my head with my turbo hair towel and went about my face washing routine. After finishing that and getting dressed, I added my Super Curl moisturizing cream to my curls and then topped them off with my light Curls in a bottle styling gel. I alternate between my 2 moisturizing creams and 2 styling gels. One of my creams is water-based; the other is thick. One of my gels is water-based; the other is thick. It all depends on what I feel like using! I then pulled the front and nape area sections back and secured them with duck clips to stretch my curls and heighten my afro! I sat in front of my fan and let my hair lightly dry. During this, I do things like paint my nails, do my makeup (that's a joke for those who know me) and anything else non-hair related. After my hair dried a bit, I added my Shescentit rich cream to add more moisture. I also added a blue hair bow.

Like I said, this process takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes. During this process, I conditioned, detangled and moisturized my curls. Though my regular process is much longer and usually consisting of multiple washings or co-washings and a deep condition, I am still able to take care of my hair, style my hair and get the results I want! Try my tips the next time you need to get ready in a short amount of time and let me know how it works for you!
 

Question of the day: If you had to choose between your hair products, which 3 hair couldn't you live without?? For me, I NEED my Super Curl water-based moisturizing cream, my Kinky-Curly styling gel and Curl Junkie Beauticurls leave-in conditioner. If you have 3 must have products, make sure you never run out like I did :( Happy Sunday everyone!