What about your hair care routine?

 Everyone spends time on their skin care routines. We hear of all the cleansers, moisturizers, serums and masks that everyone has made a part of their routine. Well, what about your hair?

Hair care is just as important as skin care. First, let’s start with some hair basics.

Hair is made up of a protein called keratin. Keratin is a remarkably strong protein, very resistant to wear and tear. 

• Hair is like a plant:
  • The root or hair follicle anchors each hair to your scalp.
  • Hair bulbs, form the base of the hair follicle.
  • The hair shaft, the visible part of your hair grows out from the bulb.

Figure 1: Hair Segments

The hair shaft is made up of two or three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and medulla (which only is found in thicker hair). The cuticle is the outermost layer that protects the inside of the hair shaft from damage and also helps your hair hydration and appearance.

• This is the layer that we manipulate the most through combing, colouring and other chemical and treatments.
• This is the layer that is exposed to chlorine from pools, heat in the summer and cold winter temperatures.
• THIS is the layer we need to protect with a regular hair care routine.
• The goal to keep the cuticle smooth and just the right pH to ensure that it retains moisture and give the appearance of shiny, healthy and vibrant hair.

I break up my hair care routine into segments, similar to my skin care routine. Just as skin care routines vary depending on the individual, so to would your haircare routine - play around to see what works best for you. The following hair care routine is by all means a guideline of what works for my hair. My segments, consist of things I do daily and bi-weekly/monthly, I hope that you can get some tips that may help you in your hair journey

Monthly Hair Care Routine

Figure 2: Monthly Hair Care Routine from Hot oil Treatment to Protective Style

I am going to start with my monthly routine, because it sets the basis for my weekly and daily routines. I start with my wash day – that alone needs a moment. It is a day set aside for me, because it is a routine that requires a few hours of my time. It is when I can catch up on some reading and self-care. The video above highlights my monthly routine which consists of the following steps:

1. Hair steaming using Cher-Mere Hot Oil. Hair steaming uses moist heat to open the hair cuticle and allows nourishing oils to penetrate deep into the hair fibre to maximize hydration and moisture.
2. Using a pH balanced, shampoo and conditioner. I use Cher-Mere Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner, I leave the conditioner in for 2 minutes to deeply penetrate the shaft and then rinse with cold water.
3. The LOC method. This step, is all about adding and retaining moisture in my hair. The LOC Method, is the liquid, oil, cream method. The liquid or water based leave in conditioner hydrates the hair, the liquid adds oils to help condition the hair and the cream seals the oil goodness into the shaft to retain moisture. I use Cher-Mere INATURAL line of leave in conditioning cream, conditioning oil and curling butter for this step.
4. Styling - depending on the season or weather or my mood  , I either diffuse my hair and leave or I put into a protective style like a twist or braid. In the video below, I go on to do a crochet braid style.
5. Maintenance - I usually try to trim my hair every 6 weeks.

Figure 3: Inatural Line used in LOC Method

Weekly Routine

Depending on how I have styled my hair, I usually need a bit of a redo or retwist. This is when I get my spray bottle out and get to work.

1. Dampen sections of my hair using spray bottle.
2. Reapply the products using LOC method.
3. Style as Desired.

Daily Night Time Routine.

1. Scalp care. I use the Cher-Mere Herbal Hairfood on my scalp daily or as needed. This depends on the season and how my hair is styled.
2. End of hair care. I apply as needed some Cher-Mere INatural Moisture Hair Therapy. This product is a combination of the curling butter and conditioning oil.
3. Depending on the style, I either retwist or just tie with a satin scarf or satin cap and go to bed!

Daily Morning Routine.

1. Take off satin cap.
2. Use a bit of conditioning oil on my fingers to minimize frizz t if hair was twisted or just to apply to hair and style.

I hope that you incorporate some of these ideas into your hair care routine. If you are looking to see what products may work best for your hair. Try our hair care quiz.