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Hair rinsing is an effective way to maintain your curly hair. But since blonde hair (both natural and color-treated”> tends to react differently to other ingredients, hair rinses are usually avoided. Once going lighter, it is important to take extra steps to really maintain the color and condition of your hair after washes. These hair rinses are blonde-hair friendly, filled with nourishing antioxidants and free from any chemicals or preservatives that might chemically alter the state of your hair color. Use these rinses after cleansing your hair and in place of the usual rinse-out conditioner. You can find these ingredients in the herbs and tea section of your local grocery store.
Linden-Flower Rinse
Blonde hair can be very prone to dryness and Linden-Flower is perfect for dealing with this. The Linden-Flower rinse will help to promote growth and strengthen the hair.
- Boil 2 tablespoons of linden-flowers and simmer until cool. Strain the mixture and add to a spray bottle. Use the rinse after washing your hair and massage into the scalp.
Chamomile Tea Rinse
Chamomile tea has many hair benefits such as calming down the scalp, softening the hair and giving shine. When it comes to using a Chamomile tea rinse on blonde hair it works as a natural and healthy lightener for colour treated hair. If you want to keep your blonde hair vibrant try the following rinse once a week if your hair colour needs a pick me up! It great for bringing out blonde highlights!
- Once a month, boil 2 cups of water and steep 2 bags of chamomile tea and either spray or pour through your hair. Let it sit in your hair for 5 minutes before rinsing out with cold water.
Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
Apple Cider Vinegar rinses are a great quick fix for fighting dandruff and removing excessive scalp buildup. Along with its antibacterial fighting properties, it is also known to give your hair shine. The vinegar in the rinse closes the hairs cuticle resulting in sunlight reflecting off your curls!!- Mix some Apple Cider Vinegar and water together in a spray bottle. After cleansing your hair, spray your hair with the mixture and massage into the scalp and use as a clarifier. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Do this once every month.
Champagne Rinse
It may sound off the wall but a champagne rinse can actually enhance gold/blonde tones in the hair. The antioxidants from the grapes made to use bubbly are great for achieving smooth and shiny has also! Side note: don’t waste the good stuff on your hair! Opting for a cheaper bottle for your hair works just as well.
- Mix one-half hot water and one-half champagne in a spray bottle, distribute the mix all over your hair and then rinse.
Rhubarb Root Rinse
Rhubarb root has a long history of medical use! This plant is full of calcium, fibre and vitamins. You can use this as a rinse to naturally lighten the hair a shade or two! Stay away if your blonde hair is already light–think platinum–as this rinse can darken it!
- Let some rhubarb root boil in a non-metal pot for an hour. Let it cool down and strain through a sieve. With a spray bottle, apply this mixture and rinse after washing your hair. Rinse with this a few times to get the colour and leave your hair to air dry.
Have you tried any of these rinses on your blonde curls? Let us know how they turned out.
After transitioning for just over 2 years I have experimented with twist-outs, braid-outs and bantu knots and admittedly, made so many errors.
Now that I have chopped the majority of my straight ends off, I can now truly enjoy twisting without the added perm rods! I decided to refresh an old wash-and-go as I felt my curls has dried out and lost their definition. To do this I decided to apply two-strand twists using a new product, Aloe Curl Enhancing Twist Cream by Hydratherma Naturals and the results were amazing. It was the best twist-out I have ever applied so I have put together some of my tips for getting the perfect twist-out.
1. Refresh an old wash-and-go with a twist-out. Your hair will be less defined for easier styling and manipulation. I find that applying twists straight after washing my hair can be a lot of work and hand strain when you have just been through detangling, cleansing and deep conditioning. #WashDayProblems
2. I started on dry hair and separated my hair into 4 sections on each side of my head. I sprayed each section that I was working on with water so that my hair was damp but not soaking wet. This helped the product to penetrate my hair and was easier for me to finger comb whilst twisting. I prefer to work with damp hair because it does not take as long to air dry, also.
3. Double up on products! If you are like me, you have thick hair and curls that dry out easily. So it is probably best to layer your products. I used the LOC method by dampening my hair, applying an oil and then a cream. This ensured my hair would still be moisturised the next day when I took down my twists.
4. Use products with hold and great natural ingredients. You do not want a twist-out that looks great to the eye but leaves your hair feeling sticky, flaky and dry. I used the Hydratherma Naturals Aloe Curl Enhancing Twist Cream.
5. Twist your hair a few hours before bed and then sleep with them under a satin scarf. This is essential if you want your twist-out to be perfect the next day! The satin wrap will help to set the style and seal in all of the moisture.
6. Remember to apply oil to your hands while taking down your twists, as you want to smooth your hair out and prevent any tension which can cause frizz.
This is what worked well for my 3b/c low porosity curls. How do you achieve the perfect twist-out? Visit Style Nook for more twist-out inspiration. And follow me on Instagram, @UKCurlyGirl
If you have a little extra money saved up for a trip to the salon this summer, why not fix that bad dye job you gave yourself last season? If your colorist uses one of these, they are nothing short of legit.
Pravana ChromaSILK
This brand includes 5 beautiful pastel shades including ‘Pretty in Pink’, ‘Luscious Lavender’, ‘Blissful Blue’, ‘Too Cute Coral’ and ‘Mystical Mint’. All great if you are looking for the Mermaid look. The pastels are also demi permanent and can be mixed for your perfect shade.
Goldwell TopChic Professional Hair Color
Looking for permanent hair colour? This brand has a range of intense colours from N shades, cool NA shades and TriFlective Naturals. The colours stay cool and even all over for long periods of time and offer 100% grey coverage.
Schwarzkopf Professional Essensity
A healthier option! This collection offers ammonia-free permanent oil colours. This range promotes healthy looking hair colours and protects against external influences resulting in natural shine and long lasting colour! The range includes 58 different shades.
Redken Color Fusion Advanced Hair Color
If you are looking for multi-dimensional hair colour this line is for you. This range has over 100 shades that can be used to lighten, darken, match natural hair colours and cover grey. Great for experimenting with high fashion shades also.
Sebastian Hair Color
Sebastian hair colour intensifies your initial hair colour giving it a boost. The colours are semi-permanent and include no peroxide or ammonia.
Joico Color Intensity
If you’re looking for dramatic hair colour this brand is for you! The Joico’s Color Intensity line has 5 new shades of blue, green, magenta and purple that are able to be mixed to create softer shades.
The test
I followed the instructions and found out that I have low porosity, great! But now what? Scientifically, low porosity hair is “‘hydrophobic’ meaning it repels water from its surface.” So, that explains why your hair might really dry out in the sun, swimming and after using chemicals. My hair was highly affected by my bleached blonde highlights.
What works for me
Diluting my conditioners with water in a spray bottle gives my hair more moisture so I like to avoid products that don’t include Aqua in the first 2-3 ingredients. I also try to apply my leave-in conditioner after washing my hair whilst I am still in the shower and my hair is soaking wet. I then wrap with a T-Shirt and begin to style after.
Rehydrating/misting my hair daily or when needed also helps to keep it soft and detangled. I have also found that my hair holds moisture more during a steamy environment. I once deep conditioned during a visit to my Gym’s steam room and it transformed my hair! This is now why I always make sure to add heat to my deep conditioners using a heat cap. The steam/heat binds the conditioner to your hair giving it maximum hydration and softness.
Pre-Poo treating my hair hours before my wash routine can benefit in a great and longer lasting wash and go! I like to penetrate my hair with Coconut oil or Olive Oil (A light oil is best for low porosity hair”>. I then detangle my hair gently and leave the oil on for a few hours or even sometimes overnight (wrapped in a shower cap, no one likes to wake up to oil stains on your pillowcase!”>.Products that help me
With these techniques I like to use products that will also add more moisture to the hair, after 2 years of transitioning I have found the following products to work well for moisturising my low porosity hair.
- Jessicurl Deep Treatment
- Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner
- Kinky Curly Knot Today
- SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
- Boucleme
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Bentonite Clay & Apple Cider Vinegar (to cleanse”>
- Big Hair Deep conditioning hair treatment
What has worked for you and your low porosity hair?
UK Curly Girl gives us the heads up on 6 beauty brands in Europe that we should totally be jealous of not having on-the-ground access to.
Allura Hair Accessories
Allura provides hair accessories available in the 99p stores! They recently have introduced a dupe for Curlformers ‘Spiral Ringlet Rollers’ which is so worth a try if you need a quick fix and cannot afford a whole pack of Curlformers. You will be sure find all types of Allura ‘curly girl’ friendly accessories in your local Poundland.
Macadamia Oil Extract Conditioner
The Macadamia Oil Extract line is similar to the beloved ‘Macadamia Natural Oil’ products but less than half of the price tag as they are available in Poundland! This intense hydration conditioner includes coconut oil, macadamia nut, castor oil and olive oil.
Mellor and Russell – Argan Shine Hair Repair Mask
A cheap and cheerful deep conditioner for dry and damaged hair. This product is also available at 99p stores. I have not come across a hair repair mask at such a cheap price! The product contains great ingredients such as Argan Oil, Shea Butter Extract, Olive oil and Avocado oil.
Sleek Makeup
This amazing makeup brand was made with darker skin tones in mind! Catering from light all the way to dark ‘Sleek’ has made drugstore makeup available to brown skinned women! The affordable makeup is available at most local drugstores and superstores and creates amazing palettes for eyes, lips and face!
- Contour kit (£6.49″>, purchase online here
Superdrug Vitamin E range
Superdrug supplies there own name brand products and one that stands out is there affordable Vitamin E skin care range. Mists, Scrubs, Butters and Cleansers! This range even includes a dry oil which is suitable for use on body and your hair. Great 2-in-1 product available for just £2.99.
- Find Superdrug Vitamin E Range online here
Boots – Curl Crème
A classic for UK curlies! Boots essentials own brand of curl crème. This is a great product for those with finer/looser curly hair giving definition and hold without weighting it down. It comes in a tub, which is great for scooping up large amounts!
- It also only costs £1.99! Find it online here
Boucleme
Amazing organic, natural and cruelty free curly hair products that provide the moisture and great definition we all need! Boucleme have just 3 hair products at the moment a cleanser, conditioner and gel. These are now my favourite wash & go products giving me perfect results every time!
- The products are available in the UK from the Curly Emporium
