My 3b hair update: routine and maintenance

Hello my dear sweetpeas..... I hope this post finds you well and having a good hair day.

A while back, I think in August last year, my life changed forever when I finally found a great hairdresser who could tame and tease my 3b curls to perfection. You can refresh your memories here if you're interested. For reference, there is an official scale of curliness going from 1-4 (4 being afro hair) and between the numbers there are letters which define more clearly the type of curl within that curl bracket.... if that makes any sense at all. So 3b is very curly, think spirals and frizz and poodles and you're pretty much there.

So since August my hair has been the best it's ever been in my life. I've had some 'bad hair' days but in comparison to before my salon visit they are not even that bad, just a bit more frizzy than normal.

I did promise a review of the products I'd been using alongside a hair routine update so here I am and here it is.

Now I do understand that this may not be relevant to many of you, but for those poor type 3 girls out there suffering as I did this post could be a lifeline.

So here's what I do and while I describe my routine I'll tell you what I think of the products:

Step One: Wash hair a maximum of twice a week with a NON-SULFATE shampoo. I've been using the Mizani True Textures Curl Balance shampoo which was recommended to me, alongside all the other products in this post, by my hairdresser. The shampoo is quite watery in texture so be careful that you don't pour too much out at once. For a non-sulfate shampoo it still foams up a treat and cleanses the hair beautifully without stripping it. I rarely need to shampoo twice and can almost comb the tangles through with my fingers after using this alone. The smell is mildly coconut-y and I love it! I've gotten through about two bottles of this since August and I'm on my third. A seriously fantastic shampoo which is almost a treatment for the hair in itself, I don't need to rush to put on the conditioner afterwards as my hair behaves itself when I use this.

 On days where I feel my hair is a bit grubby but I don't need to give it a full wash I use Mizani Cleansing Cream which is literally what it says it is, a cream which cleanses and conditions at the same time. This does not foam at all and it feels strange to massage a cream product into the scalp and believe that it's going to cleanse your hair. The smell is also a bit odd, I can't quite describe it but it smells almost a bit clinical, not unpleasant, but not as nice as the other products. Still, I'm not sure how it works but it does indeed clean the scalp AND condition the hair without the need for conditioner afterwards. Using this in place of shampoo and conditioner once in a while is meant to keep the hair from getting too dehydrated. Sometimes I feel like my hair needs a wash more than the recommended once or twice a week so I'll use this for the third wash. A useful product to have but not entirely essential as the True Textures shampoo is so moisturising.

When I have a bit of dandruff I use the Mizani Scalp Care Shampoo which is, like the Cleansing Cream, a cream product which doesn't foam up at all. It smells fresh and minty with a hint of Eucalyptus and works a treat.

Step Two: Condition and detangle. I use Mizani Moisturefusion Silk Cream conditioner. I love this so much, but I hate the packaging. It's a thick cream that should come in a pot and not in a bottle. It's a pain to get out even when it's still full as the nozzle is tiny and the plastic of the bottle too thick to squeeze effectively. Still, I'm on my 4th bottle of the stuff because it's the best. I smooth about 10-15mls on my hair, combing it through gently with my fingers and NEVER a brush or comb as I had previously done. (I could never comb through my hair with anything other than a Tangle Teezer before, but I found out that the Tangle Teezer had almost wrecked my hair, pulling apart the curls and leaving me with dry frizz. It's a great product for sure, but not for curlies like me.) Anyhow, you don't need a separate deep conditioner for treatments as you can use this one, just leave it on for longer and maybe wrap a towel round your head or something. I rarely bother as it moisturises the hair so well just left on for a minute or so in the shower. The smell is gorgeous, fresh and slightly floral, it smells 'expensive' and we like that, don't we?

Step Three: Very gently towel dry (I just wrap my head in a towel, no rubbing or anything) and then apply generous amounts of Moroccanoil Curl Defining Cream. I was told to separate my hair into sections and smooth the cream over each small section, and sometimes I do this, but more often I tip my head down and scrunch the cream through my hair very gently so as not to disturb the natural curls. I apply a final sweep of the cream over my hair once I'm standing up straight again to smooth down the overall 'mane'. Leave to dry naturally. Yes, even in the winter. This curl cream is the BEST styling cream I've ever used in my life. End of. It may be a bit thick for finer hair types, but for my type of hair it's perfect. It smells luxuriously fresh (whatever that means...) and I keep getting compliments on how nice my hair smells which is always a good thing.

For those in-between days where my hair doesn't need a wash but the curls lose their definition and the frizz is back in force I simply dampen my hair with a water spray (cheap Ikea bottle and tap water, nothing fancy) and then apply a little more of the Curl Cream. That seems to do the trick. 

And that is it, guys and dolls. I think it's a pretty simple routine overall and it's kept me going nicely in-between hair cuts, which reminds me, I need to make an appointment next month for another trim. I estimate that I'll only need a trim about 3 times a year to keep it in tip-top shape, something I'm very happy about financially, although I'd want any excuse to go back to my hairdresser more often!

For those in-between days where my hair doesn't need a wash but the curls lose their definition and the frizz is back in force I simply dampen my hair with a water spray (cheap Ikea bottle and tap water, nothing fancy) and then apply a little more of the Moroccanoil Curl Cream. That seems to do the trick.

You can buy Mizani products from Feelunique.com and lookfantastic.com. I buy mine from Feelunique most of the time as they seem to be cheaper. The shampoo was just under a tenner last time I checked and the conditioner about £12. The Moroccanoil Curl Defining Cream is the bomb though, priced at about £23 online (don't buy it in a salon it will be much more!). I try to wait for the discount emails that pop into my inbox occasionally and stockpile when I get about 20% off. You do get 250ml though and it does last a while, especially if you have less hair than me, which to be honest, you probably do. And don't take that as an insult, the amount of hair I have has been proclaimed as 'abnormal' by previous hairdressers.....