My Healthy Hair Routine 2019

For the past 3 years, my hair regimen had not changed greatly. But for those years I had been experimenting with different deep conditioners and techniques. Here is my new hair regimen, that is ever-changing but the real OGs have not changed from 2016 .  This post is going to be super informative about the (New) products Ingredients with EWG ratings.

 1. Deep conditioner treatment 

My goal was to see if it was ok to deep condition before shampooing, to reduce my time spent in the shower. And it worked!  So far  I have not lost all my hair (yet).

So I do a hot oil treatment using Mashooq's deep penetrating oil (which contains Vitamin A and all the Oils that my hair loves) with 10 drops of peppermint oil.  Sometimes I add Honey, mainly on my ends. This makes my hair super soft. This year, I started using Jamaican black castor oil with I feel has helped with the overall health of my hair, especially with adding thickness (more review to come).  Sometimes I would only use the black castor oil with peppermint oil or the Mashooq's deep penetrating oil with peppermint oil.  Or all three together with honey (mainly on my ends).

With these mixtures and doing the greenhouse effect (covering my hair with a plastic cap), I think a lot of things are going on;

•  heat is generated, sweating my hair and scalp out which loosen up any build up on my hair and scalp. This aids in quick shampooing.
• My hair cuticles are opened, allowing for the moisture and the treatment to get into my hair. 

Also before the deep treatment, I spritz my hair with warm water to further aid with opening up the cuticles and melting product build-up. 

2. Inecto Naturals Coconut Shampoo

Under  £2, This mild shampoo has been my favorite for years.  Yes, it does contain coconut oil which I thought was irritating my scalp, but was not. It was the pure coconut oil that I used it as a sealant without heat that caused that issue. And it contains Sulfate, which has not caused any issues with my hair, so far.

I only massage the shampoo on my scalp, then I add conditioner on my scalp and hair, and then rinse off everything. Doing this prevents my hair from drying and matting up. Plus it easy and quick!

      It is clear, so NO COLOURANT. It is lightweight and lightly scented

New Ingredients [with EWG ratings]: Aqua [1], Sodium Laureth Sulfate [1-3], Sodium Chloride [1],  Cocamidopropyl Betaine [2-5], PPG-2 Hydroxethyl Coco/Isostearmide [1], Glycol Distearate [1], Stareth-4 [1-3], Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil [1], Polyquaternium-10 [1],  Parfum (Fragrance) [8], Sodium Benzoate [1-3], Sodium Hydroxide [1-4], Citric Acid [1-2]. 

Can we take a moment to appreciate this short list of ingredients. This was the reason I started using this shampoo and its conditioner. AND it is Vegan-friendly 🐇

Honorable mention to Sulfur 8, which I rarely use. But This is my 'Clarifying shampoo' that I use when my dandruff appears n the winter. This is the best clarifying shampoo that I have used so far. So this is when I use my deep treatment with honey to prevent my hair from being stripped out and too dry.

3. Inecto Naturals Coconut Conditioner

Again Under  £2, This is a thick conditioner that gives me a lot of slip for detangling my hair. I almost finish a whole bottle each wash day!  Yep, I use it up! 

Got to love an effective yet cheap conditioner to use up!

New Ingredients [with EWG ratings]: Aqua [1], Cetearyl Alcohol [1], Stearalkonium Chloride [4-6], Cetrimonium Chloride [4], Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil [1], Parfum (Fragrance) [8], Stearyl Alcohol [1], Isopropyl Alcohol [2], Sodium Benzoate [1-3], Citric Acid [1-2].

Again, I appreciate this short list of ingredients. 

4. African Pride Shea Miracle  Moisture Intense Leave-In Conditioner

Under £10,  If I  had to change anything in my routine, this will never be changed! It is one of my holy grail hair product that I have been using for years. Not only is it a very light leave-in ( great for my low porosity hair), it makes my hair super soft. 

Very light leave-in for my low porosity hair 

New Ingredients [with EWG ratings]: Aqua/Water [1], Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olive Oil [1], Argania Spinosa Nut Oil/Argan Oil [1], Glycine Soja Oil/Soybean Oil [1], Cocos Nucifera Oil/Coconut Oil [1], Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit/Shea Butter [1], Mangifera Indica Seed Butter/Mango Butter [1], Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract/Rosemary Extract [1], Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract/Aloe Vera Extract [1-3], Dimethicone [1-3], Panax Ginseng Root Extract/Ginseng Extract [1], Polyquaternium 37 [1], Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate [1], Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil [1], Glycerin [1-2], Phenoxyethanol [2-4], Ethylhexylglycerin [1], Cetearyl Alcohol [1], Ceteareth 20 [1-3], Polysorbate 20 [1-3], Propylene Glycol [3], Phenyl Trimethicone [1], CI 15985/Yellow 6 [1-3], Parfum/Fragrance [8], Benzyl Benzoate [3-6], Benzyl Salicylate [4-7], Coumarin [4-7], d-Limonene [1-2], Hexyl Cinnamal [2-5], Lyral [4-7], Alpha Isomethyl Ionone [2-5].

Again can we appreciate the first 9 natural (extract) ingredients. In regards to the last few ingredients with high EWG ratings, this rating is due to allergies and immunotoxicity. FYI the lower the ingredients are on the list, the lower the dosage.

5. Design Essential Coconut and Monoi Deep Moisture Oil Treatment 

This is again one of my holy grail hair product! It makes my hair super shiny and soft. I use this as my  Oil in the LCO step and is the last product I use in my hair routine.  This oil is light and non-greasy too.

This does contain Mineral oil, and I know in the natural hair community this has been looked down upon. But this has not caused any issue to my hair for all these years. As African Export said "if you have a consistent wash and conditioner regimen and use products with mineral oil as one of the LAST steps in styling, the suffocation or drying possibilities will be avoided"

Non-greasy!!!

New Ingredients [with EWG ratings]: Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate [1], Isododecane [1], Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral oil/Huile Minerale [1-3], Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer  [1], Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer [1], Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil Kernel oil [1], Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil [1], Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil [1], Gardenia Tahitensis (Tiare) Flower Extract [1], Fragrance (Parfum) [8], Tocopheryl Acetate [3], Coumarin [4-7], Limonene [3-6].

I am super happy that I have staple products that work for my low porosity hair. It has taken me 10 yrs of trial and error to found products and identify product ingredients that I know will work and will not work for me. For example, any form of proteins like hydrolyzed proteins or silk proteins makes my hair feel dry as I am protein sensitive. But Natural Oils, Butters and humectants like Honey and  Glycerin [1-2] are truly moisturizing, it's unreal.

In conclusion,  please keep in mind that what works for me, might not work for you because our hair is different. But I think it important to try and understand/pay attention to your hair and see what products, ingredients, and techniques work best for YOU. That is why I love the community we now have. As everyone can share their reviews on products and we can make decisions for ourselves.

I do hope this post was super informative.  In the comments below, let me know what are your staple hair products in your hair routine?  And any product you think I should try.