Moisturize and leave it alone.

 We have come a long way:)

Happy New year people!
Late, shey?*_* Forgive my absence o. Whats been happening?Hmm...Nothing much... but the harmattan season is in full swing in some parts of the country and not so intense in other parts. So today,I would  address a question I have been getting frequently; "what do I do? Harmattan is breaking my hair!"
Some of you have sent me mails asking for my current regimen and I usually  share a few points. Please forgive me if my replies have not been as complicated as you would like but that's how it is; SIMPLE!! 
Chei, some of  long regimens I have read...as in ehn...I envy your dedication o. But that's not for me. I wish I did, but I just don't have that much patience and time for my awesome mane *_^.
So for those of us who are struggling with hair care this harmattan season here's my regimen-you can use it or you can tweak it to your specifications:
 
Co-washing: For the harmattan season, I have been co-washing my hair using conditioners like VO5 Moisture Milks (N500)  and the seriously cheap TopKlass Instant Hair Conditioner (N350). Both products help keep my hair clean while leaving it soft and manageable. If you are so in to shampoos then you can replace your shampoos with Apple cider vinegar. Do a rinse with this to help cleanse your hair and scalp without having to deal with dry hair after washing.

For the my skin I use Dudu Osun and Shea butter, and the other products (including Sheabutter) are for the mane:) 

Deep Condition: I can not do without this step in the dry season because  the weather can get my hair so dry that it snaps with the slightest tug. You want to deep condition and properly moisturize your hair as often as possible these few months.

For me, my favorite and most accessible deep conditioners are:

1. Aloe-conditioner mix: I add a little olive or coconut oil to a mixture of Aloe vera gel (from the plant) and conditioner. Mix, apply, leave on for some time (20mins and above), rinse off and style.
2. Simple mix of conditioner (VO5 Moisture Milks or Hair fruits) and olive oil.
3. Plain conditioner: Yes, this works too. Just co-wash and  leave on some conditioner for 10-20 mins. Rinse off and style.

French braids

Styling: After the above step, I apply my leave in (Herbal Essences Helohydration), detangle, apply coconut or olive oil (to seal in moisture) and finally apply Shea butter to the ends. I then braid my hair to stretch it out a bit. (Stretching helps make hair more manageable)

Keeping  hair moisturized: To keep my hair moisturized, all I need is some water and oil. If you have anything extra like Aloe Vera Juice, fine, include that. I put water in a spray bottle, spritz a bit on my hair, detangle and then smooth a light oil or butter on my hair, focusing on the ends. (Remember to work in sections)

 Moisturizing hair in sections

Why I prefer light oils and butter-mixtures during dry season:

Heavy hair butters, after application just seem to seat on the hair strands. They leave my hair feeling oily and sticky. Moisturizing hair (using water alone) when it is too oily can be a waste of time as the water just seats on the hair strands without having much effect. Light oils- like olive oil and coconut oil- on the other hand enter the hair shaft and don't leave my hair feeling too oily.

Like I always say, do you.  If your hair prefers heavy butters, work with that. But if your hair is  revolting, then you might want to try going easy on the products. Try something new.

My day to day styling regimen: I don't spray water on my hair everyday and I don't  wash my hair everyday. After stretching, my hair is usually in french braids, buns or single chunky braids. Moisturizing hair is done twice a week and if I can escape that, all the better (thanks to head wraps:))

Summary: Moisturize, style and leave it alone. Simple!

Note however, that there is a lot of dust in the air so you should wash your hair regularly. I wash weekly and when traveling, my head wraps go where I go (keeps the harmattan dust out)
Thats all for now, if you have any questions please leave a comment below.
 Till next time, Blessings!