I don’t know about you, but I’m busy. Very busy. I have work, school, family, life… but I still want healthy hair. My hair shouldn’t have to suffer because of my busy schedule. Here are a few hacks I’ve learned along the way. It’s a handy guide you can reference whenever life gets busy.
Tip: You may want to bookmark this page for future references.
Don’t procrastinate. Procrastination is the enemy in all areas of life, and hair is no different. Don’t wait until 9 p.m. to start your hair — if you can avoid it. Most times, you realize your hair session wasn’t “that bad” and you could have done it earlier.
Wash your hair more often. Similarly, don’t be overwhelmed by the wash process. The longer your put it off, the more tangled and dirty your hair will become. Shampooing your hair more often to prevent excessive buildup. Its best not to skip more than two weeks of shampoo sessions.
Condition your hair (with heat, if possible). It takes time to deep condition your hair — 20-30 minutes, to be exact. But when you deep condition your hair on a regular basis, it is much more manageable and less susceptible to damage. The extra TLC will save you time and energy in the long run. Here are a list 5 Best Deep Conditioners. You can even make your own with these simple 5 DIY Deep Conditioner Recipes.
Don’t over-condition your hair. While we are on the topic of conditioning hair, there is no need to condition your hair overnight or leave conditioner on your hair for hours. (In fact, you can actually over-condition your hair.) Limit your conditioning to 20-30 minutes since optimal results are achieved during this time period.
Style your hair in steps. For example, instead of washing, blow-drying, and straightening your hair the same day, complete the tasks on separate days. Wash and blow dry one day, then straighten the next day. It makes the tasks less daunting and you’ll complete it faster since you won’t be fatigued by the process.
Trim Your Hair. I know you want to hang on to every inch. But if you want to cut down on your styling time and keep your hair healthy, trim those ends. Here are some signs its time for a good trim.
Cut Your Hair. More length, means more of a time commitment. So to cut down on time, get a haircut. You don’t have to cut it all off. You can simply commit to a shorter length rather than pursuing waist length hair. Bra strap length is ok, right?
Co-wash Your Hair. Don’t feel like washing your hair, but your hair needs moisture or to be detangled? Then try co-washing!
Steam Your Hair. If you need to quickly refresh your hair, then try steaming your hair. It is a great way to refresh an old twistout, or to ease detangling prior to retwisting. And it beats re-wetting your hair!
Use a moisture mist. Need a quick boost of moisture in the morning, to refresh your old twistout or wash and go? Try one of the many moisture mists on the market? To create your own, add a tablespoon of conditioner and oil to a spritz bottle of distilled water and shake. Check out these 5 DIY Moisturizing Mists.
Pineapple Your Hair. Instead of retwisting your hair every night, try using 80’s style scrunchies to “pineapple” your hair. Pineappling is also a great way to minimize shrinkages. To pineapple, you simply put your hair in small ponytails, positioned where you won’t destroy your curls at night. If your hair is shorter, you simply do more pineapples (or ponytails.) In the morning, fluff, refresh, and go!
Air dry before twisting. If you are tired of your twistout not drying by morning, then try air drying before you twist your hair. Wring out most of the water and let your hair air dry for about 20 minutes. The extra surface area will allow your hair to dry faster. This tip alone will cut your drying time in half for any of your hairstyles.
Set your hair in bigger sections. If you are short in time, try setting your twist out or braid out in smaller sections. Even if you hair is shorter, you should be able to cut down on the number of twists/braids. When I’m really pressed for time, I set my hair on just two braids.
Tie your hair down before bed. Waking up to a rat’s nest on your head is the easiest way to damage your hair and add time to your styling routine. Take the extra 5-10 minutes to set your hair at night.
Wear a Protective Style. Too busy to style your hair on a daily basis? Try twists, braids, or buns to protect your hair despite your hectic lifestyle. Read more about protective styles.
So there you have it! 15 hacks for busy naturals who want healthy hair.
These are some great tips! Thanks Latoya!