Cut. It. Out.

Hi. 

Wondering if folks get the reference in the title...

It's been a while. Life has changed quite a bit - a hyperbolic understatement to say in the least.

But as is always the case, the earth keeps rotating, the wheel keeps turning, the sun will rise again, and our hair will keep growing...

... and growing.

So today I thought I'd talk about it. Again ^_^.

Part I: THE HAIR

As is/was the case with the pandemic during severe case spikes, it's safer to stay home. So when I realized I may need a new product for my hair (look up the DevaCurl fiasco...), I rushed out to purchase a few things to try before things locked down.

Only one product worked.
(It was the Jamaican castor oil leave-in conditioner by Shea Moisture if you're wondering)

So I was a bit stuck. I had re-committed myself to trying to see how long I could manage to grow out my curly hair (it's already longer than last time), which meant I had vested interest in the content of the products going into my hair. If you aren't aware, curly friendly products aren't always that wallet friendly because you have fewer cheaper ingredients to help with long term storage of products. Not to mention, I'd need another few weeks to test out another batch of products - which with the lock-down I could not purchase in person - on top of the hassle of additional product testing with no guarantee a product would work unless my hair approved of it.

So I started down the path of at home solutions. I found a lot of information online - loads of people have shared their stories of curly hair management. While I am fortunately not one of those people who chemically straightened my hair, I managed to find out a few solutions to some of my previous problems, learn a little new lingo, and uncovered a boat load of things to use for my hair that I already had at home, both from people with other types of curly hair, and amazingly also from other folks of Indian descent.
[If you don't get why this matters... that's ok. I just believe it makes sense to use things that I have at home - and I have a lot of Indian stuff at home, why not use the things I'm sure people in India had been using for their specific hair for eons? I mean each region of the globe has their own tricks and ingredients for beauty/hair care that work for their genetics - and I use a bit of all of them.]

Now, I'm seriously bogged down with work and I'm not inclined to spend exorbitant amounts of time with my hair. So being able to find the hacks to only have to wash my hair fully once a week without washing and rewashing products out of my hair has been key.

Here's what I've found:

    1. Oats: These are the all around basic awesomeness that's great for your hair. They are very versatile in their applications, and can be used as a base in hair masks, as conditioner (also as a leave-in), and as a hair gel. This is my go to for hair masks, and I really like being able to tailor it by adding other ingredients (or even just to get rid of that overripe banana sitting out ^_^).
[Of the things I have added here are a few: oils (coconut, avocado, or sesame), honey, aloe, yogurt, turmeric, beets, egg, avocado, banana, apple cider vinegar]
    2. Aloe: This stuff is epic for hydration. You can use honey when it comes to retaining moisture, but after water, aloe is a bit of a powerhouse with providing hair moisture. Feel free to use it in any and every step of your hair care. But it really works it when it gets to stay on your hair for a longer time - so masks, gel, or just a simple refresh are your best use case. I like to seal it in by pairing it with oil or finishing it off with a holding gel.
    3. Apple cider vinegar: It's uses are many. That is all. Alright, alright, here are some: clarifying, shine, pH balance, dandruff/scalp, and just so many more.
    4. Turmeric: This is one of my ayurvedic remedies that I really love. You definitely need to use it right to fully get its benefits, but it is amazing for scalp health and it combats dry, itchy skin!
    5. Flaxseed: I love using flaxseeds for hair gel. It has a lot of nutrients and really acts as an amazing holding gel with a light cast that's suitable to leave as is or break for softer curls. It's definitely something you can use as is or tinker with, as you like. And while recipes abound for how to make it, I love using a bit of fenugreek in the gel to add a little extra slip. The best part is you don't actually need to wash your hands after using it - it's totally not sticky! I have even used it directly on dry hair as a refresh if I don't have time to wash and style my hair nicely.
    6. All the herbs. Ok not all, but a good number of them. Use what ones you like, but I have found that my hair likes curry leaves, lavender, sage, and rosemary to mention a few. If you are planning to really invest in making things are home, investing in these plants makes for an affordable renewable source!
    7. Tea: Great as a refresh to extend the time before a wash day. They can also be used in masks and can afford similar benefits as when you drink them (i.e. chamomile for soothing :D). 
    8. Rice water: Now this one is a bit tricky and might take a bit more effort and time to see if you hair even likes it or you can optimize using it without damaging your hair. But you might find the effort worthwhile if you are looking for a bit extra structure or "boing" for your curls.
**Note - use what works for you, or what you can afford. These are things that worked for me specifically, and I did have to experiment a bit. If you're interested in any direction for how to use things, feel free to message me directly!

    9. The process: As mentioned before, I just don't have the time to prep my hair then shampoo then deep condition then rinse then all the rest of the styling steps. There is just not that kind of time. So instead on wash day I do a pre-shampoo hair mask for a minimum of 30min. Usually this ends up closer to a few hours - because after I put in the mask, I get back to other work while it sits. Gotta make the time count. This is effectively my deep condition (which is anywhere from 20min to overnight after you've washed the hair). At some point in time I will attempt a real DC - but that is just not now. Then I use a herbal hair rinse before a leave-in conditioner and proceed with the rest of my styling routine, with the last step is my flaxseed gel. So all in all, not a huge time suck, and bonus - I can use a refresh of black tea in case there's just a tad bit too much buildup on my scalp before my weekly wash day.

So now that the hair is healthy and all that...

Part II: SNIP SNIP

Now any hair health conscious person will tell you - regular haircuts are a necessity. As your hair grows longer, your scalp may not produce enough oils to keep the ends coated, which leads to dryness and split ends. This is further exacerbated when the hair is curly (traps the oil near the scalp). That's why we have so much frizz... like seriously. 

Now imagine that you might be super picky about who cuts your hair, because it's a circus to research which stylist to consider, followed up with the fact that it can take years to test folks out since you don't need a cut more than 2-3 times a year. It can take a while before you actually find someone - there needs to be a balance between cost and someone who can actually cut my brand of curly hair...

Then you move, requiring the process to be restarted all over again in a new city. 

Now the cherry on top: Covid hits. Which means salons are closed. And even when they open, you don't have a regular person you would even consider risking your safety to support. They'd be new people who might just care less about safety and keeping a customer...

So you buy a pair of shears.

You do it yourself.

It takes forever.

Ok, it's not that bad. Though I did go through the process at least twice using a layer by layer method that I wouldn't say is my strong suit. For some reason, even though I took a "ladder" approach - cutting right then left sides at each level - somehow I think I just cut more from the right and less on the left... I can't explain it... but I definitely was open to new ideas.

Fortunately (but also a bit annoyingly) just after my last snip, I came across a technique that I'm itching to try: the "Unicorn Cut". Instead of slowly making my way up my scalp in several layers, you do 3 major cuts and a final step to round out the point in the back (if desired). I can't say that I have any commentary yet, but it's definitely a cut for longer hair. You need to be able to tie your hair on top of your head. But honestly, doing the layered cut seems less daunting when there's less hair in general. Also not sure this would work for folks with 4a/4b type hair - maybe it'll work if the curls are relaxed first?

But the real struggle came from cutting the hair of the rest of folks at home.

The first haircut I gave was with a pair of mustache scissors. Let's just say there is a constraint on how much hair can even be snipped in the first place.

Then with my shears it could've worked out. If there wasn't so much hair to cut....

But finally clippers were purchased and the process became fairly straight forward. I honestly like cutting hair with clippers - I may be influenced to use them on myself (I can already imagine the satisfaction of buzzing it all off...). But first, the unicorn method awaits.

Part III-ish: COLOR ME RED

All this hair improvement has been great. But as I approach my next hair cut, I will be officially cutting off all my highlights. No more vaguely red like strands or brown highlights. It'll just be my back hair with that lone white hair. It really stands out now.

And the worst thing is that I know that coloring isn't great for my hair. But I miss the red. And I miss how my stylist blended it in by fading my color into brown before adding in the red at the end.

And FB keeps showing me adds for supposedly awesome at home hair color system. That makes the colors pop. And there's no color stripping.

So, maybe I cave and splurge a little. Or maybe I'll be my usual procrastinating self and wait it out. Regardless, I leave you with this: