downloadable handbook · to longer, healthier and happier hair. i’m often asked for my top tips...

DOWNLOADABLE HANDBOOK

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INDEX Introduction - Page 3 The First Step Hair Regimen Assessment: Hair Concerns & Hair Habits - Page 4

The Second Step Deeper Understanding: ‘Hair Type’ - Things you should know - Page 6 The Third Step Action Plan: Creating a washday routine - Page 12 The Fourth Step Midweek hair care and your night time routine - Page 16 The Fifth Step Want faster results? Hair care hacks & top tips - Page 17 The Sixth Step Is this actually working? - Page 17 Resources - Page 18


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“But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.” - Corinthians 11:15

INTRODUCTION If you’ve gotten your hands on this handbook first of all welcome, and congratulations on making the decision to take your hair care regimen and journey to the next level! In the following pages I will be taking you on the same journey that I took to longer, healthier and happier hair. I’m often asked for my top tips on how to grow longer hair, prevent breakage, avoid dryness, get rid of split ends, the list goes on, and the truth is it all boils down to one thing, ‘The Hair Care Regimen’. A guide that will help you give your hair the love and attention it needs to thrive and reach the goals that you desire for it. This handbook is a complimentary resource to my six-part ‘How To Build a Healthy Hair Care Regimen’ video series, so if you’ve yet to catch any of the videos please do, they work hand in hand with what I am going to share here! Without further a do, pens and paper at the ready, let’s get started!

With Love, Fiona x


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THE FIRST STEP Hair Regimen Assessment: Hair Concerns & Hair Habits The first step in building a healthy hair care regimen is without a doubt the most important one, and will set the framework needed to achieve the lengths and hair health that you’ve always dreamed of. In this step we will be looking at two key areas: Hair Concerns and Hair Habits. Identifying your hair concerns will help you create a regimen more suited to you than anyone else, it’s often easy to focus on our hair goals and neglect our hair needs, but this very step can determine just how quickly you achieve your goals or in fact the opposite. On a piece of paper or better yet in your hair care notebook, write a list of the hair concerns that you may have e.g.

• Receding hair line • Thinning • Slow growth • Balding • Split ends/single strand knots • Excessive shedding • Dryness • Dry/flaky scalp • Breakage etc.

As with any list tackling everything at once can be quite overwhelming, so once you’ve written down your hair concerns put them in order of priority, with the first three being the most important. This will help you put together a more effective routine when you get to the third step.

_______ Great, task one done! Now we can move on to the second task, evaluating your ‘hair habits’. This is done by taking a closer look at your current hair care regimen. How often do you deep condition? Do you use heat regularly? What is your daily water intake? What do you use to moisturise? Do you pre-poo?


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As I’m sure you’ve guessed this task requires you to assess your habits/actions, and what you’re currently doing as part of your hair care regimen. If you’re not sure of what your current regimen is don’t worry, I’m pretty sure you have one, I’ve put together a list of questions (below) which can help you get a better idea of what your regimen looks like.

• How often do you wash your hair? • Do you pre-poo? • Do you moisturise your hair during the week and if so how often? • Do you seal in your moisture? • How often do you deep condition your hair? • How do you wear your hair to bed? • How often do you use heat? • What is your preferred detangling method? • Do you use any products on your scalp? • How often do you relax your hair? • How do you wear your hair 90% of the time? • Do you protective style and if so how often? Etc.

Once you’ve answered these questions and now have a written account of your current regimen, why not take this a step further. Create a new list alongside your ‘hair concerns list’, of the habits/actions that may have caused your current hair concerns, for example:

Whilst this step may take some time to complete it’s totally worth it, in just a couple of minutes you’ve not only identified your hair concerns, but you’ve also listed the potential causes of some of your concern areas. You may not see it just yet but this knowledge will play a huge role in putting together a solid regimen, and being able to identify which products as well as techniques will work well for your hair.

Top Tip:

• If you’re experiencing excessive shedding or breakage related issues

see a doctor as soon as possible for medical advice.


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THE SECOND

STEP Deeper Understanding: ‘Hair Type’ - Things you should know Now that you’ve put together a list of your hair concerns and habits, the next step on the journey to healthier hair requires you to get to know your hair that little bit better. The truth is some of the hair concerns you made note of in the first step, may not be a result of your direct habits, but more so a result of not fully understanding your hair ‘type’ (and therefore not being able to cater to your hair in terms of its hair ‘type’ needs). In this step we will be looking at three key features that play an important role in determining the best hair care practices, and products for your hair. Let’s take a look at this in more detail… POROSITY Porosity is your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. If you struggle with dryness despite frequent moisturising, understanding your porosity may help you get to the root of this. There are three levels of porosity: Low Porosity Low porosity hair in simple terms is hair that does not easily absorb and retain moisture. This is mainly because the cuticle layers are tightly bound and lay flat, which makes it difficult for water/moisture to enter the hair strand. Hair with low porosity also tends to be much more difficult to process than hair with normal or high porosity.

Top Tip: • Deep condition with heat. Use heat (direct or indirect*) to help

your deep conditioner better adsorb** or penetrate your hair strands, this will help infuse more moisturising nutrients into your hair

• Use a clarifying shampoo. Once a month consider substituting your regular shampoo with a clarifying one. This will help get rid of product build which makes it more difficult for your moisturisers to be absorbed

*Direct = e.g. shower cap, Indirect = e.g. steamer ** Adsorb = molecules accumulate on the surface of your hair to condition, soften and nourish


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• Use light oils. Light weight oils (e.g. grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil) are ideal for low porosity hair and will cause less product build up

• Use humectants. In moderately humid environments use products which contain humectants e.g. glycerine, panthenol, hyaluronic acid etc. Humectants draw moisture from the air and infuse it into the hair strands

• The Baggy Method. Moisturise the strands of your hair and then

throw a shower cap on for 30 minutes to an hour. This method helps to soften and impart moisture into your hair. You can do this once or twice a week

• Use water-based moisturisers. These types of moisturisers work

best for low porosity hair and will be able to infuse the hair with as much moisture/water as possible.

Normal Porosity Normal porosity hair tends to absorb and retain moisture better than low or high porosity hair. If you find that your hair takes well to moisture and you do not have any issues with absorbing or retaining moisture, then stick to what you’re doing, it’s clearly working! High Porosity In the case of high porosity hair the cuticle is highly raised and may even be chipped. Highly porous hair absorbs moisture quickly which is great; however there is a downside, due to the raised nature of the cuticle moisture is lost just as quickly as it is absorbed. In most cases highly porous hair has undergone a fair share of chemical/heat damage, and may be prone to more tangling due to the rough surface of the strands, caused by the raised cuticle.

Top Tip: • Protein treatments. Highly porous hair needs protein to help

strengthen the strands and temporarily fill gaps that may have resulted from chemical and/or heat damage. Light protein treatments can be done once a month e.g. ORS Replenishing Pak, and heavier treatments every two months e.g. Aphogee Two-Step Protein Treatment


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• Use heavier products. In order to retain moisture more effectively, those with highly porous hair would most likely benefit from using heavier products, e.g. products labelled as creams, puddings, butters etc. Using such products and sealing them in with heavier oils will help ensure that the hair is moisturised, and the likelihood of moisture loss is reduced due to the heavy sealing.

What is your hair’s porosity? There are a few ways to test for hair porosity, one of the most popular tests can be seen below:

Whilst this method of testing is very common in the hair sphere, I would personally advise that the best way to test for your porosity is to take a few minutes to think about your weekly moisturising routine. How soon after moisturising your hair does it feel dry again? How often do you have to re-moisturise your hair during the week?


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The strand float test has gained a lot of traction over the years, but is very weak in terms of its scientific backing. If you still need some help in deciding on your hair’s porosity, take a small section of your hair and spray it with some water. Do the small droplets of water disappear into your hair quickly (high porosity), or do they take a few minutes before being absorbed (low porosity)? Whilst this test is also subject to some critique I think it’s a lot more reliable than the strand float test.

Resources: • Video: How To Build A Hair Care Regimen - Porosity, Density &

Strand Thickness • Natural Haven: Junk Science - Hair Porosity Tests

DENSITY How many strands of hair do you have?

You’ll be relieved to know that understanding your hair’s density does not involve the almost impossible task of counting each and every strand of hair on your head! It does however require you to be able to decide on whether your hair is high, medium or low in density. Why is this important you may ask? As we get older the density of our hair declines, this may not be an area of concern for those blessed with a super thick head of hair, however for those of us (myself included), who already have medium to low density hair, this can be quite worrying! If like myself you have medium/low density hair there are a few things you may want to pay extra attention to:


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• Hair manipulation. If you have medium/low density hair a low manipulation regimen is the name of the game! Reducing the amount of tools you use in your hair e.g. brushes, combs, heat tools, and opting for lower manipulation techniques e.g. finger detangling and protective styling, will help reduce breakage and any further hair loss that can result from excessive handling

• Nutrition. If you caught my ‘6 Month Protective Style Hair Growth Challenge’ video, you’ll know that I supplement my diet with vitamin D. Whilst this is for non hair related reasons I did however come across a study (VDR Knockout Mice Study), which shows the effect of a lack of vitamins such as vitamin D on hair growth. Be sure to stay on top of your fruit and vegetable intake, and where necessary supplement your diet. The health of our hair is influenced by both internal and external factors.

Top Tip:

• If you’re not certain of your hair’s density here is a quick way to test

for it: Part your hair with a comb. If a lot of your scalp is exposed you most likely have low-density hair. If it’s almost impossible to see your scalp you most likely have high-density hair. Anything in between and you have medium density hair!

Last but not least we have… STRAND THICKNESS

Your strand thickness/strand width refers to the circumference of each individual strand of hair on your head. Knowing your strand thickness


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is yet another key feature to get clued up on. It’s often thought that a thick head of hair (highly dense) means thick/coarse strands. This however is not always the case; you can have high-density hair and fine/thin individual strands. Here are some tips for taking care of your hair based on the thickness of your strands: Thin/Fine Strands

• Can be easily weighed down by heavy products. Lighter consistency products e.g. leave-in conditioners, hair milks, light oils work well for this type of hair

• Is fragile and can break easily. Opt for heat free hairstyles and reduce the use of hair tools where possible. Deep condition regularly and be sure to get your monthly protein fix by using a protein deep conditioner once a month

• Can look quite thin. Twist outs on natural hair and braid outs on relaxed hair can help to give the hair a more voluminous appearance.

Medium Strands

• Neither too thin nor thick. Can handle heavier products and may achieve more definition with heavier products

• Less susceptible to heat damage and breakage than fine strands.

Coarse Strands

• Strongest hair texture and thickest in circumference. Responds well to heavier products as these can help to tame the hair for sleek hairstyles

• More resistant to heat damage.

Top Tip:

• Whilst both medium and coarse hair strands are less susceptible to heat damage, they are not immune to it. A low heat and low manipulation regimen is beneficial to all hair types, and will help maintain healthier hair in the long run.


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THE THIRD STEP Action Plan - Creating a washday routine Congratulations on getting this far! At this stage you’ve accomplished three major things. You’ve identified your hair concerns, you have a better idea of which habits/actions may have contributed to your hair concerns, and finally you understand your hair on a deeper level (porosity, density and strand thickness). This is where the fun really begins! In the next step of this journey you will put together your very own washday routine, one that is catered to your hair needs as well any goals you would like to achieve. Before we jump straight in there are two pieces of advice I just have to share, had I known these two things before embarking on my hair care journey, I would have avoided many days of hair care frustration as well as setbacks.

1) Set aside enough time for washday. My worst washdays have been on days when I have rushed through my routine because of little time. This means skipping important steps such as the pre-poo, and sometimes handling my hair a lot more aggressively. The end result? Tangling, breakage, knots, the list goes on. 2) Be observant. The very minute you’ve used a product or tried a new technique, make note of how your hair feels. It’s easy to continue to use products or techniques that have little to no positive impact on our hair. If you don’t like the way your hair feels after using a product stop using it, your hair is telling you it does not like it!

THE WASH DAY ROUTINE Pre-poo If you’ve followed my hair journey for the past two/three years you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of this step. The pre-poo is a pre-shampoo


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step that requires you to apply oil, conditioner, or a store bought pre-poo product to the strands of your hair prior to washing. The main purpose of the pre-poo is to nourish, moisturise and strengthen the hair, as well as to reduce the stripping effects of a shampoo. It also doubles up as a great step for detangling.

Top Tip:

• If you have fine strands of hair opt for light oils which will not weigh your hair down when pre-pooing

• Detangling your hair in sections is a great way to reduce overall tangling

• The Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme is a great store bought pre-poo product that I have had great experience with

• You can allow your pre-poo treatment to marinade for as little as ten minutes to overnight, it all boils down to how much time you have.

Cleanse/Shampoo After you’ve pre-pooed you can then move on to cleansing. Due to the stripping effects that shampoos can have, choosing a hydrating/moisturising shampoo will ensure that your hair is being fed with goodness even whilst being cleaned. Sulphate free shampoos have become the preferred choice of shampoo in the hair care community, as they have shown to be less harsh on the hair. Nevertheless whichever shampoo you use, a clean scalp promotes a healthy breeding ground for growth.

Top Tip:

• Focus on applying shampoo to your scalp and not directly to your hair strands as this may over dry your hair. The shampoo applied to your scalp will travel down the strands of your hair naturally

• Washing your hair in sections can help to reduce tangling.


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Condition/Deep Condition After cleansing the next step of the washday routine is conditioning. For this step there are two main conditioning options: a moisturising conditioner or a protein conditioner. The conditioner you choose will be determined by the hair needs or hairs concerns that you identified during the first step.

Is your hair lacking moisture? Is your hair highly porous? Take a look back at the first step to help you decide on what type of conditioner/deep conditioner you may need.

Once you’ve applied your chosen conditioning product to the strands of your hair, a great way to ensure that as much of the product is adsorbed or penetrated, is to aid your deep conditioning session with some heat. You can do this indirectly by wearing a shower cap or two, or you can do this directly by sitting under a hooded dryer or steamer. Regardless of which of these methods you choose, the heat created by the heat tool or body generated heat, will help take your conditioning session to the next level.

Top Tip:

• How does your hair feel after deep conditioning? If it feels brittle and tangled make note of this and try a different product.

• Depending on how much time you have, try to deep condition for at least 15 minutes and if possible up to 30 minutes. This will give the conditioner enough time to sink into your hair.

• Some people choose to detangle during the conditioning step as the conditioner gives their hair extra slip. If you detangled during the pre-poo stage then you can skip this. If not then this a great time to do so, but be gentle as hair is more fragile in a wet state.

Dry Now that you’re all done and have rinsed out your conditioner, it’s time to moisturise and style your hair. Before you go on to moisturise you may find it helpful to lightly dry your hair first, this will ensure your hair isn’t dripping everywhere and will allow for your hair to absorb more of the


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moisturiser you apply to it. For this step I would highly recommend using an old t-shirt, these are more gentle on our strands than towels. Moisturise and Style The final step of the washday routine is where you can infuse moisture back into your hair. For this step you’ll want to use a leave-in conditioner, moisturiser or both. Deciding on which products to use will once again boil down to your hair needs and concerns. The products you use during this step will determine how well moisturised your hair is, and how long it retains its moisture. It is also at this stage that you may choose to oil/feed your scalp. Once your hair is moisturised you can then commence to styling. There are a dozen different ways to style your hair after your washday session (too many for me to list). Here are just a few of my favourite hairstyle options: Twist outs Braid outs Bantu knots Curlformer sets Roller sets Flexi rod sets etc.

Top Tip:

• To help your hair retain moisture for a longer period of time, be sure to seal your hair after moisturising. This can be done using oils or butters depending on your hair type

• Check out the fourth step or resources below for more tips on how to improve your hair’s moisturising game

Resources:

• Video: How To Build A Hair Care Regimen - How To Choose The

Best Products For Your Hair


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THE FOURTH STEP Midweek hair care and your night time routine After what was hopefully a great washday session the next step on the ‘journey to healthier hair’ agenda, is midweek hair care. Even those of us who have the luxury of going to the salon to get our hair done will have to follow some basic steps in between visits, to ensure our hair is in it’s best possible state. Here are some daily actions that will help you nourish and protect you hair during the week:

• Go back to the first step and think about your hair needs, actions and

hair type (porosity etc.) What were your top three hair concerns? What can you do differently this week to tackle them?

• All of us need moisture in our hair, getting into the habit of moisturising and sealing your hair daily or every other day will help prevent dryness and breakage

• If hair growth is the ultimate goal, why not incorporate scalp massages into your weekly routine alongside a stimulating scalp oil?

• Avoid changing your hairstyle everyday as this can cause our hair a

lot of stress. Perhaps you can choose hairstyles that last two/three days or opt for protective styles

• Are you wearing a silk/satin headscarf or bonnet to bed? This will

help prevent friction and breakage, which can result from rubbing our hair against a pillowcase.

Resources: • Video: How To Build A Hair Care Regimen - How To Choose The

Best Products For Your Hair

• Video: DIY No Sew Satin Pillowcase

• Video: How To Speed Up Your Hair Growth


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THE FIFTH STEP Want faster results? Hair care hacks & top tips Now that the washday routine and midweek hair care are out of the way, the next step is all about taking your regimen to the next level. Be that by upgrading your moisturising game, your length retention game, getting those edges back in shape, you name it! Here is a video covering some of the techniques that are responsible for my hair growth, hair health and length retention over the past couple of years, and especially during my natural hair journey:

Hair Care Hacks + Top Tips [Moisture Retention, Growth & Breakage]

THE SIXTH STEP Is this actually working? Finally, I just want to encourage and congratulate you. Making these positive changes to your hair care regimen definitely requires some work, but you’re on the right track and the results will pay off. Unfortunately as life has it the results you may be expecting may take some time to show so you’ll need to be quite patient (trust me on this one!) The best way to know if your regimen is working is to track your progress, take before photos and monitor your progress on a monthly basis, this way you can address any setback issues before they get out of hand, and also see the health of your hair as the months go by. Don’t be afraid to switch things up along the way, not all of the steps I have mentioned will work for you, your hair is unique and taking time to observe and understand it, will help you determine what is right for it.

‘Small disciplines repeated with consistency everyday lead to great achievements gained slowly over time’ - John C Maxwell


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USEFUL RESOURCES • Healthy Hair Archives

• Healthy Hair Essentials Kit

• Video Series: How To Build a Healthy Hair Care Regimen

• Hair Growth & Length Retention

• Infographics

• Scalp Care

• Hairstyling

• Hair care & Nutrition

• LoveYourTresses YouTube

downloadable handbook · to longer, healthier and happier hair. i’m often asked for my top tips...

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