• Lifestyle
    • Faith
    • Minimalism
    • Zero Waste
    • Home
    • Motherhood & Family
    • Health & Wellness
    • Travel
  • Food
    • Raw Food
    • Vegetarian
    • Smoothies
    • Desserts
    • Clean Eating
    • What I Eat In A Day
  • DIY
    • Facial Cleanser
    • Facial Moisturizer
    • Facial Mask
    • Eye Cream/Serum
    • Lip Balm
    • Hair Cleanser
    • Hair Rinse
    • Hair Leave-In/Styler
    • Beauty Oil/Butter
    • Beauty Mist/Toner
    • Natural Fragrance
    • Deodorant
    • Nail Care
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Curly Hair Regimen
    • Healthy Hair Tips
    • Chemical-Free Series/Hair
    • Skin
    • Acne
    • Principles
    • Chemical-Free Series/Skin
  • Style
    • Modesty
    • Wardrobe Simplified
    • My Capsule Wardrobe
  • SHOP
  • About
    • Beauty Regimen
    • My Personal Testimony
    • My Minimalist Home
    • Testimonials

Minimalist Beauty

living simply with grace, discretion and faith

Minimalist Beauty

Avoiding Tangles + Curly Hair Regimen–Fall/Winter 2011

October 21, 2011 by Dawn Michelle

During my no ‘poo hair experience I’ve learned so much more about my hair, and am enjoying the freedom of no longer using store bought hair products.  Although it is quite liberating, my main conflict has been how to avoid unnecessary tangles in my hair when I wash it.  Marshmallow root extract has been wonderful for conditioning, moisturizing, and detangling hair, yet I needed a new technique to allow my no ‘poo hair method to actually work well as my hair is constantly getting longer.

I’ve incorporated two simple techniques to my hair regimen that I wasn’t doing before.  The first is finger detangling and the second is washing my hair in loose braids.  When people ask me about my hair care, the first question they ask is what products I use.  I believe products are only part of good hair care.  They actually should assist in your hair care technique instead of being the main focus.

Finger Detangling

Finger detangling is a time consuming process.  I honestly don’t know if it gets any faster with practice, yet it takes me two hours to completely finger detangle all of my hair.  I’ve learned over the past two years that curly hair and daily combing or brushing don’t mix!  It is simply too much hair manipulation causing daily breakage.

I threw out my brush this past winter after realizing that it was breaking my hair with a vengeance.  Combing my hair full of conditioner with a seamless wooden comb was gentle enough, yet I no longer use any store bought conditioners.  By finger detangling I am able to catch knotted hair and gently remove them versus hearing my comb snap and break a few hairs before it is too late.  If needed I use my hair scissors to snip out a knot without breaking healthy hairs.  I keep healthy hair intact with a bit more patience.

I finger detangle my hair the night before washing it while relaxing with a good movie.  I section off my hair in four of five different sections adding a bit of camellia oil or any other light oil of choice before I start detangling my hair.  I always start from the bottom up to gently separate hair strands.  Once each section is complete  I loosely braid my hair into a total of eight or nine braids.

Washing Hair in Loose Braids

When I first read about washing hair in loose braids I was on the Grow Afro Hair Long website two years ago.  My hair was extremely short at the time.  I completely forgot about this technique because I could hardly put my hair in any braids.  When I wash my hair it is most vunerable to breakage and unneeded damage.  By washing my hair in loose braids after it has be finger detangled, my hair is organized and stretched out so that my curls can’t get crazy by wrapping themselves around each other.

I use my DIY Green Tea Cleansing Hair Rinse with marshmallow root extract to wash my hair.  I then allow my hair to almost completely dry before finger detangling each braided section, removing shedded hair, and adding my butter/oil + flaxseed gel leave-in.  It is with my leave-in that I gently comb my hair with my seamless wooden comb, then twist or braid up my hair.  This technique of finger detangling and washing my hair in loose braids really does cut back on fighting tangles.

My No ‘Poo Experience So Far

One of the reasons that I decided to try the no ‘poo hair method was to further simplify my hair regimen.  Since I stopped using store bought hair care products my hair is surprisingly softer than it has ever been.  I also do not apply anything to my hair that does not penetrate the hair strand which would otherwise cause product buildup.

Recently I’ve been wearing my hair in two strand twists more frequently than setting my curls with braids and wearing my hair loose.  I still add camellia oil to my hair daily for shine and conditioning.  I’ve decided to use a DIY Greek yogurt/apple cider vinegar conditioner or coconut milk for a deep conditioning treatment on the days I do my monthy henna treatments.  Otherwise I’m keeping things as simple as possible and only using two products weekly:  my DIY Green Tea Cleansing Hair Rinse and a butter/oil + flaxseed gel leave-in.

If you are using the no ‘poo hair method, how’s it working for you?

To read more articles about hair care go here.  To see my latest beauty regimen included hair care go here.

(Image by Dawn Michelle)

Stay Connected with Minimalist Beauty & Subscribe with bloglovin’. Also Join the Community on Facebook & Twitter. For more about Dawn Michelle go here!

Share

Facebook Google+ Twitter Pinterest Email

You might also like...

Comments Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Laura says

    October 24, 2011 at 5:52 am

    I like the oil rinsing method which consist in:

    wash with your choosen method
    apply olive oil coating your strands, section by section
    rinse with hot water
    apply conditioner (or any slippery leave in you use)
    rinse and, only now, finger detangle while rinsing: any knots will melt like magic

    another method I love is aloe juice on dry hair before washing, from root to tip: when I reach the shower my hair is magically detangled.

    I heard about these 2 methods on some hair forums and, as simple as they may seem, they worked wonderfully.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      October 25, 2011 at 12:16 pm

      This sounds really good Laura! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Laura says

    October 26, 2011 at 10:40 am

    You’re welcome and Ops, I was in a rush and I didn’t answer the question in the post! The no poo method is working for me. I still seem to need creamy conditioner as a leave in (my strands are thick, and thin ingredients or butters seem to either disappear or sit on my hair), but I have noticed that clay and rinses instead of shampoo make it shinier, more elastic, I would even say stronger.

    Reply
  3. mangomadness says

    October 27, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    I finger- detangle stretched, sectioned (10 parts), dampened and oiled hair before shampooing–twisting each section as I go. Doing this leads to far less breakage than when I used the “soaking wet, freshly shampooed, conditioner-soaked” detangling method. I also shampoo in twisted sections which helps me cleanse without re-creating tangles.

    Finger-detangling %100 of the time and washing in twisted sections have drastically reduced tangles and breakage in my super coily medium length hair.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      October 30, 2011 at 9:00 pm

      mango madness, this has truly changed my life too!

      Reply
  4. Laura says

    November 27, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    Dawn! I’ve been catching up on your blog, and I’m loving your hair-related articles! I am definitely in search of products and techniques to best work with Isaiah’s curly hair. It’s a whole new world for me, and I want to do as little damage as possible, while allowing his beautiful curls to live and thrive. Learning learning learning!

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      November 30, 2011 at 5:59 pm

      Hi Laura! Isaiah is so precious!!! It’s true curly hair is a whole new world. If you have any questions at all yet send me a message, I’ll be glad to help. We so need to catch up too!

      Reply
  5. Caroline says

    July 11, 2016 at 5:59 am

    Hi, when I first rinsed hair with aloe vera juice, the results were perfect. So the next wash, I mixed aloe vera juice and green tea and warm water as a rinse. Initially, the hair looked perfect as i rinsed it so later after twisting and letting it dry, it became stiff, hard and dry. It was so hard that I could feel the pull! I then decided to rinse it off and moisturised it heavily.
    Yesterday, I mixed green tea with aloe vera juice cooled, added cold water and used it as a rinse. The results are perfect.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      July 13, 2016 at 7:54 pm

      Hi Caroline,
      Sounds like you are experiencing the trial and error part of natural hair care. I’m glad your most recent results were perfect though. I am sure you find your way, and most importantly you will truly learn how to care for your hair and what it likes. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
Previous
Next
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

living simply with grace, discretion and faith

I met a woman the other day who openly shared some I met a woman the other day who openly shared some of her challenges with motherhood.  Motherhood is intensely challenging, beyond humbling, and at times you just want the day to be over then realizing that you’ll be back at it the next day.  It never ends and there isn’t much reprive.  It’s been on my heart to share some encouragement to any mother who will read this.  I pray this will bless you in some way.  The link is in my profile!
🌻 #motherhood #encouragement #humility #minimalistbeauty
Fenugreek seeds, also called methi seeds, have a m Fenugreek seeds, also called methi seeds, have a multitude of medicinal properties along with being a prominent spice in many cultural dishes.  For starters, fenugreek seeds are packed with protein for strengthening strands, mucilage for moisturizing and soothing the scalp while detangling the hair, and most importantly nicotinic acid which may minimize hair shedding while soothing scalp issues.  Fenugreek seeds are also anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal which is beneficial for soothing a dry irritated scalp as well as high in iron. 🍂

These little seeds are a win win for natural hair care and can be used in various ways.  I’ve used fenugreek seeds in my beauty regimen on and off for years.  Today I wanted to share four easy ways you can incorporate fenugreek in your hair regimen to promote healthy hair growth.  The link is in the profile. 🍂

#diyhaircare #naturalhair #minimalistbeauty #sponsored @mountainroseherbs
God is so good! We move on FRIDAY. This picture God is so good!  We move on FRIDAY.  This picture was taken before they removed the bricking which was VERY NOISY to say the least.  We haven’t been completely able to avoid the beginning of the construction process, but I honestly think it’s a good thing.  This way we can remain GRATEFUL throughout the entire process.  GRATITUDE during LIFE’S IMPERFECTION develops CONTENTMENT.  That is one thing I work on daily.  If you missed our “We’re Moving Again” testimony it’s on the blog. 🌿🍁🍃

 #testimony #sharewhatisgood #godisgood #godisfaithful #godmakesaway #minimalistbeauty #simpleliving
Friday mornings are my busiest mornings of the wee Friday mornings are my busiest mornings of the week.  I make muffins for Saturday’s breakfast (either corn bread, pumpkin, or banana bread muffins) to have with fruit, a big crockpot dinner for the weekend (beans & rice bowls, lentils and sweet potato stews, or a big veggie and red potato stew) to serve with bread, tortillas, grains, and/or salad depending on the dish, and I’m usually putting orders together to go out for @iamazuha today too.  All the while I’m also making other food for the day. 🍂🥧🍁

Friday’s are crazy because of the usual responsibilities, but mainly because I really want to relax a bit over the weekend.  Over this past year I’ve worked really hard to create systems to make working from home and being a homemaker easier.  Homemaking really is like running a small boutique bed and breakfast hotel.  It takes planning ahead, having a solid system, financial planning, commitment, and a lot of love.  I’ve been learning to really enjoy this process.  Just like everybody else I’ve been baking more this year than ever.  Very rewarding. 🍂🥧🍁

Wishing all of you a beautiful and blessed weekend! 
💞Dawn Michelle
We’re MOVING again! With everything going on wi We’re MOVING again!  With everything going on with the world wide pandemic, I’m seeing the importance of sharing anything good that the Lord is doing in your life with others.  We need HOPE.  We need to share the JOY of walking with God.  The testimonies of glorifying God would just add encouragement that I know I need.  I LOVE hearing of God making ways out of no way, giving us more hope and FAITH. 🌿🍂🍃

I was initially praying to God for ways to endure what we were about to go through while somehow someway making it nice for my family during the process.  But God was already orchestrating a new way for us to not even have to endure it at all.  Read my testimony on Minimalist Beauty... (link in profile) 🌿🍂🍃

If God has done ANYTHING in your life no matter how small PLEASE share it in the comments below.  We all need to hear what’s good!  The news shares otherwise, but we can create a space here of good testimonies.  Please share below and I pray you are having a blessed day. 🌿🍂🍃

Much love!
#testimony #sharewhatsgood #godisgood #godisfaithful #godmakesaway #minimalistbeauty #simpleliving
We could all use an IMMUNE BOOST right now.  Here’s a simple juice recipe that I make for just that.  I call it SPICY APPLE JUICE and my three (almost four) year old drinks it up no problem! 🍎 

I simply juice 2 WHOLE medium/large APPLES (3 small apples pictured) + 3 CLOVES of GARLIC in a slow masticating juicer for one immune boosting serving.  Yes I do include the core as it has many health benefits. 🍎 

After having my 1st official winter back on the east coast last year, RAW GARLIC was how I made it through without getting sick at all while caring for sick family members. 🍎 

Since then I juice garlic in many of my juice recipes or mince up multiple cloves as dinner toppings for chickpea pasta, beans and rice bowls, and stews.  What I LOVE most of all is hearing my son say, “More Juice?” Proud Mama!!!! 🍎

#immuneboost #juicing #juicerecipe #simplenutrition #healthyliving #minimalistbeauty #minimalistbeautyeats
I started wearing linen clothing because it’s ex I started wearing linen clothing because it’s extremely practical.  Linen is one of the most environmentally friendly fabrics on the market.  Linen is also considered the world’s strongest natural fabric.  After tiring of purchasing new clothing every season for my heavily worn small capsule wardrobe, it just made sense to look for mid and heavy weight linen garments that could be worn year round and layered that actually lasted. 
🍃

Linen clothing can last up to 2-3 decades if properly cared for.  I’ve made some mistakes along the way, but have finally found a simple method for caring for my linen garments. (Link in profile.)
🍃
#linenlover #minimalistbeauty #sponsored @mountainroseherbs
I stopped using henna, I tossed my comb and brush, I stopped using henna, I tossed my comb and brush, I wear hair buns 95% of the time, and my hair care routine only got simpler with only two “products”. All the details plus why I really cut my hair last spring on the blog.  Much love!  #minimalistbeauty #curlyhairroutine #naturalhaircare

Copyright 2021 Minimalist Beauty | Site design handcrafted by Station Seven