No more Bad Hair Days...

One joy of natural hair is that it is very unpredictable. You don't know what you'll get from day to day. You can construe this as good or bad...hopefully good. In addition to your regular routine trims, conditioning treatments and other maintenance, here are some day to day tips to help aiding in daily good hair days.

Detangle your hair first
Freshly shampooed and thoroughly detangled hair will always give you the best results. Twisting or braiding hair that is already matted and tangled will only produce more knots and tangles. Make sure to detangle while it's wet, preferably with conditioner in it to give you good slippage.

Calm down on the products
This is one time when less is more. Excessive amounts of product will only lead to weighing down your hair and ultimately product build up. You can always apply additional product if necessary but applying too much initially can only be rectified by re-shampooing.

Have a hair placement plan
I always receive my best results when my twists or braids are calculated. They do not need to be carefully parted or measured as if you were laying tile floor, however, merely throwing them in haphazardly will result in a less polished look. Even when you want a sexy, messy look, placement makes a huge difference.

Seal your ends
Skipping this step will give your ends cause to fray and only make more work for you later. Healthy ends will yield an overall healthy appearance and hair will be more manageable.
*Oils add shine not moisture, however, they do a great job at trapping the existing moisture in. I seal with Shea butter and coconut oil with added essential oils.

Put your hair away at night
Aside from the obvious damage caused by friction between your hair and cotton pillowcases, the satin scarf will keep things in place. It is not just to achieve smooth edges, it also keeps your hair in check. It reduces friction causing dryness and reduces frizz when you release your twists or braids.

Pineapple your hair
If you are unable or unwilling to retwist or rebraid at night, the pineapple will do the trick. By gently placing the hair high on top of the head, you will be able to preserves the curl pattern and maintain your look.
*secure the hair with a satin scrunchie or loose band

Don't over separate your hair
After releasing your twists or braids (with oils on your fingers), unravel the areas that you want more volume the most. Too much separation will lead to excessive frizz.

Retwist or Rebraid
If pineappling is not your thing, retwisting or rebraiding at night is a good way to rejuvenate and restore your look, as well as providing more definition.

Let your twist or braids dry 100%

The worst thing you can do when it comes to styling is to unravel hair prior to it being 95-98% dry. Hair needs time to set and interrupting the process will result in a bad day all day.