How to Create a Natural Hair Care Routine for Beginners

A natural hair care routine refers to the steps and products used for maintaining healthy hair and retaining length. In this blog post, I’ll be breaking down the steps on how to create a natural hair care routine for beginners. 

The goal of any hair care routine is to increase the moisture levels in the hair while minimizing breakage and damage. The great thing about a hair regimen is that it is customizable, allowing you to incorporate products that your natural hair responds well to and omitting those that are unnecessary for you. 

You don’t have to break the bank to create your routine and build your product range. The majority of the best hair products for natural hair are very budget-friendly. The focus should be on consistency and showing your hair love, rather than building up an expensive collection of hair products that are of no use to you.

In this previous post, I discuss why your current routine is failing and how you can simplify your regimen for optimal results. If you are just beginning your natural hair journey or looking to refine your routine, this post is for you.

How to Create a Natural Hair Care Routine for Beginners

To start off your simple hair care routine you’ll need a few basic products, some of which you may already have. I’ve included links to some cult-favourite natural hair products. These are a great starting point if you don’t know where to begin.

Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Sulfate-free shampoos are a staple in the natural hair community as they do a great job of cleansing the hair while maintaining its natural oils. Since curly and coily hair is more susceptible to rapid loss of moisture and hydration than straight hair, it’s important that you’re not doing any unnecessary stripping during the cleansing process.

For the most part, most shampoos all do the same thing: clean. Stick to affordable and budget-friendly brands if you just want to build a basic yet effective natural hair care routine. It is entirely possible to build an effective routine without breaking the bank.

This sulfate-free from Suave’s natural hairline is a great place to start.

Deep Conditioner

Deep conditioning is one of the most important steps in a natural hair care routine. This step sets the foundation for moisture and deep hydration of your curls and coils. Deep conditioning promotes elasticity and aids in preventing damage caused by heat, environmental factors and regular styling.

Lack of moisture is one of the major contributors of breakage in natural hair. Your hair needs all that hydration that we were once taught to deprive it of. Remember when you used to fear water going near your hair? Well, gone are those days.

By deep conditioning regularly, your hair becomes noticeably soft and manageable. I highly recommend investing in this cult favourite by SheaMoisture, it is honestly a game changer. Another great option is this highly-rated one by Carol’s Daughter.

After applying deep conditioner, apply in direct heat for about 20-30 minutes. A hooded dryer is a great method for this. This step allows the heat to open up my hair cuticles and help the product penetrate.

You can also try this cordless deep conditioning cap that you can pop in the microwave to heat up and use on the go!

Protein Treatment

A good protein treatment will help with repairing damaged hair and provide restorative strength. Think of protein as a fertilizer that provides the building blocks for strong hair strands. Protein treatments are to be used no more than once a month. They are great at bringing life back to limp or over-moisturized hair.

Some people like to make their protein treatment for natural hair at home. With this method, you run the risk of overloading your hair with protein when eyeballing ingredients rich in protein such as eggs, yogurt and mayonnaise. I stick to my favourites: protein power treatment (which is made with yogurt and honey!) and hair mayonnaise. 

Another great treatment for repairing damaged hair is Olaplex. Perfect for hair that is regularly heat treated, especially blow drying. A little goes a long way with this treatment so don’t be intimidated by the volume and price tag. 

Leave-in Conditioner

Although often overlooked, I can’t stress enough the importance of adding a leave-in conditioner to your wash day routine. It is the follow-up step to shampooing and conditioning, Leave-in conditioners help to provide additional moisture that is beneficial to curly and coily hair textures. 

These types of conditioners are formulated to be left in the hair and not rinsed out. It’s important to note that not rinsing out a regular conditioner does not then make it a leave-in. My holy grail leave-in conditioners that have been in my rotation for years are from Curls and Marc Anthony.

Oil

Oil is a great way to seal in all that good moisture you’ve spent your time applying to your hair. Since oil is not water-soluble, it will slow down the process of moisture escaping.

In this post, I go more in-depth about the best method for moisturizing natural hair using the LOC/LCO method. I really like using a mixture of extra virgin olive oil (the same kind that I cook with) and Jamaican Black Castor Oil.

Now that you have your essential products, here is a simple outline of how you can use these products to create a natural hair care routine. This method will allow you to achieve healthier, more manageable natural hair. 

Easy Natural Hair Routine for Beginners

Daily

• Moisturize with a water-based moisturizer, cream or hair milk and seal with oil nightly, even if your hair is in a protective style. Focus on your scalp and the ends of your hair. This can be modified to be every other day. Get into the habit of assessing the state of your hair. Use this to determine if you need to increase or reduce your frequency of moisturizing.

• Use a satin or silk bonnet, scarf or pillowcase to protect your hair while sleeping.

Weekly/Biweekly

• Use a mix of water conditioner to finger detangle (or use a wide-tooth comb) before shampooing to minimize shedding if your hair is prone to tangling in its wet state.

• Shampoo your hair. You can choose to either wash weekly or every two weeks. It all boils down to preference, time and whether your hair physically feels dirty. I recommend washing every two weeks if your hair is not in a long-term protective style such as braids, sew-in weave, etc. 

• Deep condition with indirect heat. I find it very beneficial to sit under a hooded dryer or heat cap, with a shower cap or plastic bag covering my hair, even if it’s only for a few minutes

• Wear your hair in a protective or a style that requires low manipulation and keeps your ends tucked away to prevent snagging on clothes.

Monthly

• Apply a strengthening or protein treatment after shampooing. This would replace the deep conditioning step in the usual weekly/biweekly routine.

• Trim if your dead ends if necessary. I usually trim my hair every six months unless I notice an excess amount of split ends or if my ends are feeling rough to the touch.

• Take down your existing long-term protective style. It’s important to not keep a protective style in for too long as it will lead to breakage and stress on the hair, especially the hairline. Three to four weeks at maximum should be the general guideline.

• Evaluate your current products and make adjustments according to the status of your hair. If you have recently added a new product to your routine, make note of how your hair is reacting to it. Is it making your hair feel dry and brittle? Are you noticing more product build-up than usual? Is it irritating your skin or your scalp? These are all important things to make note of and pay close attention to.

Though embarking on a natural hair journey or mastering your existing routine may seem overwhelming, once you understand why you’re using certain products, it becomes easier to maintain.

This post broke down the ultimate guide for a natural hair journey for beginners.