From our grandma’s kitchen..

Look around, I strongly think more than 3/4th of the Indian population has textured hair. What our moms & grandmas used in their days were sulfate-free, silicone-free, no paraben & drying alcohol. Reetha, shikaki, Hibiscus & more plant-based hair care ingredients for clarifying, cleansing, detoxing, etc. Had emollient in the nature of oil massage as a part of a routine. Heena, methi & more ingredients as deep conditioners.

Pre-poo comes naturally to us. Oil the hair before shampoo. Mom & head oil massage somehow has become an emotion.

It is all there in our Indian culture. I keep hunting all the time.

Going natural has become my thing. No, wait! I still haven’t gone back to reetha & shikakai but I constantly hunt for all-natural shampoos & conditioners.

While on the journey of a naturally curly hair routine, I have not been a hoarder yet. I ask everyone to go slow if they are all set to embrace their natural textured hair. Understand the logic behind everything that is a process. 

What is my objective for my hair? Healthy hair & clean scalp. 

On Instagram, I post pictures of my curls, washdays & refresh days. Sometimes I put up pictures of flattened curls day too. I receive many msgs from friends & intsa fam on what products do I recommend as a starter kit?

It is a difficult question to answer as every hair need is different plus I have a coach’s mind. I am a certified business coach & use it extensively at my work front. Therefore, giving out answers as a solution isn’t my deal. I usually have questions for all..

I believe everyone is resourceful – the solution is within you. As every head is different, curls react differently to different products & techniques. It is very important to understand the reason behind what we do & why we do?

These are the questions. Let’s answer it?

1. What products are you currently using?
2. How much are you aware of the Curly Girl Method? I ask you to identify sulfate, silicon, Paraben, drying alcohol in your current products & eliminate them.  
   • Very often, I realize that the products are usually available in our washroom closet. Our generation is very aware of sulfates & silicon.
3. I ask you to take one wash day at a time to test products & techniques.
4. Also, check with you to add a leave-in cream in the daily routine.
5. Rest everything is DIY – the DC, the flaxseed gel.
6. I ask probing questions to check what is the real need to switch from your existing routine. The real reason cannot be “I want hair like you” or I want hair like Stockholm in money heist. J. The real reason needs to be an intrinsic motivator.

Always remember. Be kind & gentle to your hair. No pulling & breaking it. Well, no dry brushing.

Within weeks, what comes up is the involvement & understanding of the essence of this method. Most importantly, why they are doing it.

I believe, if it doesn’t come from within – it may become just another fad.

How has this journey helped me?

This journey helped me to understand my hair better. Helped me understand how my dietary habits affect it. The water from the tap, the humidity level & the stressors around.

One year of curly hair care, it has been on my mind to make a starters kit. Realized It will be very difficult for me, because

• Talking about ingredients doesn’t interest me plus I am a novice – I just look through it and check my checkboxes.
• I haven’t used a lot of products in this 1 year
• Unlike the recommendation of using dollops of products on hair, I use as little as possible. I love to emulsify with water. Works for me
• I rarely try a combination of products
• My hair loves protein, so the products I usually end up buying has a tiny bit of protein

Like always, I love to articulate difficult conversations – so here is what I have used & loved. Hoping, it will help someone, somewhere.

I hope this gives you a little idea.