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introducing…

“Jamgirl/Raq’s super duper easy moisturizing regimen!
First of all, can I say I LOVE this blog-super informative, and the writing is superb! This brought out my competitive nature – I love a challenge, lol!”
BGLH: What is your hair type (kinky/curly/coily)?
JamGirl/Raq: I’m a 4a/4b mix, I guess. Who really understands that stuff? I have more important things to learn in school. Just check out the pics. One thing to remember: my hair looks kind of thick – at least that’s what I’ve been told. However, the individual strands are very, very fine. It’s very easy to straighten. Banding my hair results in an almost blowout look. In the summer, I wear my hair shrunken and cowash nearly every day. In the winter, I shampoo about every two weeks – I live in Chicago, and I would get sick doing it any more often than that.

BGLH: What products do you use to moisturize? Why?
JamGirl/Raq: I’m a firm believer in the philosophy that it’s NOT ABOUT PRODUCTS, IT’S ABOUT THE TECHNIQUE. Being a broke high school student (albeit a senior, woot woot, class of ’09!), I can’t afford to order products online or spend more than $4 dollars on anything. So I stick with a couple of nice things that I get from the BSS (Beauty Supply Store), the grocery store (I’m reppin’ Dominicks), Target, Walgreens, CVS, or Whole Foods. I have one main deep conditioner, one main regular conditioner, two main moisturizers and two main sealers. Important thing to know-my aim is MOISTURE-I don’t care much about curl definition, so can’t help anyone there. Note: my prices are a pretty accurate estimate-but things may be different in your area! Don’t kill me! Also, these are my STAPLES. I’m not saying I don’t get bored and try new things-but these are the things that I end up coming back to.

* Queen Helene’s Cholesterol-Some say this actually contains protein. Some say it has all types of bad stuff, maybe even mineral oil. I say, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it! I don’t even wanna look at the ingredients, because this has never done my hair wrong-leaves it moist, smooth, and hydrated for $1.69 (you get a BIG tub, too!) at your local Beauty Supply Store. For extra power, add a little coconut milk, which you can get from your regular grocery store-about $1!

* Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner -I’ve somehow gotten my entire family hooked on this stuff. I use it in the summer religiously for cowashes. In my opinion, it’s the best cheapie conditioner out there-when Target has a sale, I can get it for $0.69! People look at me like I’m crazy as I fill up a whole basket-they just don’t know how good it is!

* Sunsilk Hydra TLC Cream – I dunno what this is. Is it a leave-in, a moisturizer, or what? Who knows? But who cares? It smells yummy, it leaves my hair very moisturized, and doesn’t break the bank. Yours for a measly $4.49-hit up your local Walgreens.

* Profectiv MegaGrowth Daily Anti-Breakage Strengthener – You can tell this has lofty goals from the name. This stuff is a sort of a yellowish, buttery cream and smells kind of like pineapples and coconuts. It really is amazing for my hair. Get yours from your local Beauty Supply Store for $4.99.

* Coconut Oil – I love this stuff! First of all, it smells amazing-can you tell that I’m big on smell, lol? It locks in moisture like nothing else, adds shine, and has some protein-which my hair loves! There are many different brands and sizes, but I roll with the generic Whole Foods Brand (it’s called 365 Everyday Value or something fancy-schmancy like that) for $5.99. Yummy!

* And finally, my baby daddy – Castor Oil! I love this stuff sooo much! Seriously, my ends will cry out and rebel if they don’t receive a generous coating at least once a day. It seals in moisture like nobody’s business, and best of all, you can get a ginormous bottle of the very reputable Home Health Brand from your local Whole Foods for around $7.99!

BGLH: How frequently do you moisturize (conditioner, deep conditioners, and daily applications…)?
JamGirl/Raq: I deep condition at least once every two weeks with Queen Helene’s, and cowash with Suave right after that, at least during the winter. During summer, I cowash pretty much every day, and deep condition once a month. I apply my moisturizers every 2 days, and seal in my moisture with castor oil. I apply my moisturizers and sealers in four sections, making sure each section gets enough of the goodies!

BGLH: What moisturizing mistakes have you made in the past?
JamGirl/Raq: I didn’t part my hair in sections, so parts of it got neglected. I also thought I had to spend a lot of money to moisturize and felt jealous of ladies who can go the whole Oyin/Qhemet/Carol’s Daughter/way too expensive for my broke behind route. I needed to learn what works for me, my hair, and my wallet.

BGLH: And finally, how did you finally figure out what worked best for you? Take us along on your journey.
JamGirl/Raq: Honestly, a whole bunch of trial and error went into figuring things out. I had to figure out that when my hair is stretched via banding, it doesn’t like as much product as my shrunken hair. I learned that I like soft, touchable hair, and I don’t need as much product as I think. I was really lazy with deep conditioning in the past, and once I started doing it like clockwork, there was a huge difference in my hair’s health. You really just have to go through the whole trial and error thing to find out what’s gonna work-honestly. No two heads of hair are exactly the same.




what i love about jamgirl/raq’s regimen:
first off, how cute is jamgirl/raq?! this is our last and i must say the most entertaining regimen! can you feel her exuberance thru cyberspace?! i lol’ed @ the “baby daddy” comment! jamgirl recognizes that her strands are fine and works with that, not against it. she avoids overloading her hair with heavy products. i like the fact that she uses readily available products. jamgirl is representative of many of you that like to keep things simple, economical and local. you gotta work with whatcha got! (just watch out for the “fillers” a.k.a ingredients on the natural girl’s black list.) she co-washes, deep conditions her hair every two weeks, and uses castor oil to seal in moisture. she applies her moisturizers in four sections so that every area is thoroughly covered. instead of using heat to straighten her fine hair, she employs the banding technique to stretch hair. this is based on the african art of threading. the entire length of the hair is wrapped in yarn or rubbery thread. an example of this was featured during african style week. many naturals nowadays use elastics, or cut off nylon sections to section off the hair for a stretched effect. jamgirl alters her regimen seasonally to protect her hair from chicago’s extreme weather. her regimen addresses every issue except #9 (dandruff) on the top 11 reasons why natural women aren’t properly moisturized. i love jamgirl/raq’s attitude about products and hair. it reminds us all that in life, sometimes we have to ignore the fine print in the “rule-book” and just kick-back, relax and have fun!

so there you have it ladies (and gents-stop frontin’)! five different regimens with some similarities, but all very effective in moisture maintenance. so whether you’re on a college budget or a thriving “product junkie” budget, there are plenty of products and ideas to check out. thanks again to all the ladies for submitting your regimens!

~j~

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