What is Pre-pooing and why you should do it!

Prepping for my  Pre-poo Treatment

If you've been in and around the online natural hair community for any length of time you've definitely heard of  the term "Pre-Pooing."  If by chance you have no clue what I am talking about, Pre-poo is our way of saying Pre-Shampoo or Pre-cleansing treatment. Basically it's what you do to your hair prior to washing it.  

Before I understood the benefits of Prepooing I did them on my hair because, well everyone else was doing them! As a new natural we are all grasping for straws trying any and everything that may seem to work for others. After a while we all find our own rhythm and end up doing what works for our hair, and our life style.   Over the years I've done away with a lot, but Pre-pooing is one of those treatments that will always be a permanent fixture in my regimen and here's why!   

The Benefits

 It prevents damage!  Believe it or not,  simply washing your hair can stress your strands out.  When filled up with water the constant swelling and shrinking can cause Hygral Fatigue over time.   Our hair LOVES water so this sounds like an unavoidable problem. Coconut oil is a common ingredient suggested for prepoo mixtures because this oil has the ability to penetrate very deep into the hair strands. It helps our hair  receive  the right amount of water so you don't have to worry about stressing your strands out over time.  If you are someone who loves to do  wash n goes or conditioner washes throughout the week, you should definitely add prepooing to your regimen!  

It Softens knots and tangles: Have your ever taken your hair down from a style that you've been sporting all week? Maybe a wash n go "shrunken" Puff, or a bun that you've been wearing, or any protective style that's been up for a  while?  If so, you know  its no fun trying to tackle your hair in the shower when its in that state.   Adding a Pre-poo mixture before adding water will help soften and remove tangles. This will also allow trapped shed hair to slide out, and you can easily remove knots without having to cut them out!   

Mini-Twist take down prior to a prepoo session 

   

It's best to get all of this worked out before you begin washing your hair.   It will save you frustration and it will save your hair! 

What is in the mixture? Everyone's mixture will vary depending on what they deem necessary for their hair.  My mixture is  a concoction  consisting of  organic coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and instant conditioner. 

Pre Poo Mixture added

Detangling with PrePoo Mixture

My Process:  First I add organic coconut oil to my hair to soften and separate. Also by applying this oil first I'm allowing the oil time to penetrate deep into my strands.  I then mix together my instant conditioner and extra virgin olive oil, (I like conditioners with a lot of slip). I section my hair and begin to smooth and rake the mixture through. This is where I begin  removing tangles, shed hair, and knots.  (fyi: I wear a LOT of protective styles that stay in for 2 to 4 weeks at a time, so yah)

Hair saturated in the mixture

Once my hair is saturated and tangle free; I plait it in sections or add small buns and put on a processing cap.  I let my hair sit until I think its had enough time to soak up  the prepoo mixture. You can also sleep in this treatment. Sometimes I add  a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil on top of all of this, and sit under a heat cap for 20 mins.    After I rinse, my hair is always very soft and pliable.  Once I've rinsed the prepoo mixture out I proceed with whatever cleansing method I have chosen.   If I've done a thorough job during my pre poo session there is minimal detangling in the steps to follow. There is also no breakage, no knots or snags, no hassle. And that makes me happy!    

If you are already Pre pooing  I hope you continue, and if you aren't you should definitely start! 

Well until next time, keep it healthy and happy...  

Hydratherma Naturals Line: It Meets all of my MUST HAVES!

Hydratherma Naturals  

 This is a very Smart Product Line!   

Ladies. If moisture and strength is what you are lacking then you may want to give this product line a try.

Super Soft moisturized hair after week 1 of using the line

Let me say now,   while I believe that products can greatly enhance the look, feel, and texture of your hair it will be your overall technique and consistency with your regimen that will most likely get you the hair you want. Also, I am not one to promote entire product lines because typically a lot of the products or circumstances surrounding it can be a hit and miss for me.  I've only done one other product line review in the 3 years that I've owned this blog so this should tell you something about me. I don't give praises freely to everyone pushing a natural hair care product line. 

I will begin by saying that not every product in this line is  100% natural.  However it is a  natural based product line, about 97% of the ingredients are natural.  Some of the products like the oils, the moisturizer, and some others are 100% Natural, while others my have a  mix or ingredients that are a derivative of natural ingredients.(They list every single ingredient on their website)  

Straight hair moisturized with their Daily Moisturizing Growth Lotion

Hydratherma Naturals is owned and operated by Saleemah Cartwright, at http://www.healthyhairjourney.com/   I originally tried her products almost 4 years ago when I big chopped. I  recall being in love with the Moisture Boosting Deep Conditioner, the Daily Moisturizing Growth Lotion, and the Follicle Mist. 

Follice Mist used often to keep edges strong in protective styles

Over the years I held on to the spray but some how forgot how much of a miracle the conditioner is, and that is what lead me back 3 years later.  I decided to add more products from her line to my regimen, and found they work even better when you use them all together! 

Below are my honest thoughts about each of the products that I've tried, and have been using together for atleast 4 months now.  (Please be aware that I purchased all of these products with my own money, and I am not being compensated or rewarded in any way to give this review.)

The Moisture Boosting Deep Conditioning Treatment

I absolutely LOVE this conditioner primarily because it has a ton of slip and it allows me to detangle my hair with ease! My fingers glide through my hair. After  my deep conditioning sessions my hair is soft  very pliable and easy to manage.  If you've got tangles try this, its like liquid gold!

Follice Mist

This spray stimulates growth and prevents breakage it has silk amino acids in it as well so there's a mild protein fix. It's makes your hair  soft and also adds moisture.  I use this primarily to strengthen my edges.  I  use this twice a day when I am in protective styles to keep the roots of my hair strong. Its recommended that you massage the mist into your scalp to encourage growth. I've actually used this to successfully grow in thin spots on my hair line as well. For maintenance I continue to use this on my edges about every other day  to keep them thick and nice,  it does help!  

They have a few shampoos in their line to chose from. One with sulfates that complements the Moisture Boost Conditioner,  that a lot of people love. However, my hair is anti sulfates so I chose this Sulfate Free Moisture Plus Hair Cleanser.  I am not too crazy about how my hair feels once I rinse this out. I expected there to be a moisturizing feel and I didn't get that at all.  The  2 or 3 times that I cleansed with it my hair felt almost too clean, and  a little drier than what I'm use to. 

 However, I will say that once I add the Moisture Boosting Deep Conditioner my hair instantly becomes so soft and light! It feels like this cleanser is fully preparing my hair to receive the conditioner into my strands because there's nothing blocking the deep conditioner from doing its best job.    My hair feels super conditioned, there's definitely a difference in how my hair receives the conditioner when I use this.  If you can get past the initial dryness that your hair may feel after rinsing, and hold out for the Deep Conditioning magic that follows, its worth it!  I don't use this every time I cleanse but will if I feel my hair is really dirty. (Note:  I've noticed when using this cleanser on other natural ladies their hair doesn't always feel as "dry" as mine after the rinse. So this could just be with my hair texture, who knows!)

Protein Balance Leave in 

I really enjoy using this leave in.  I use to be afraid of it because it has "protein" in the name. I was convinced before using this that my hair was sensitive to proteins and thought it would make my hair hard or dry. But this isn't strictly a protein leave in conditioner. It is a balance of moisture and protein, and  this is what our hair MUST have a balance of to remain strong and prevent breakage so that we can see length retention.  The proteins in this are silk amino acids, and my hair has never experienced dryness from using this. I've learned that that my hair isn't protein sensitive.  I just had to find the type of proteins that my hair responds well to, which are silk amino acids or wheat proteins.  I've noticed this line has both types of protein. This is so mild you can use it several times a week or every night, as the directions suggest.    

Amino Plus Protein Deep Conditioner  

This conditioner makes my hair feel strong and soft at the same time. It really brings my hair to life.  I use it every other wash session too keep the protein and moisture balanced.  (If I feel I need more moisture or vice versa I use  my deep conditioners according to how my hair feels) I also used it when reverting my flat ironed hair back to its natural cotton, kinks, and curls..My texture just bounced back. 

This Hair Growth oil is light and feels very nourishing! Although it does a great job of sealing in moisture I can't really vouch for the "hair growth" claim. I've never used it for that. It does contains Emu oil, which I do believe has been connected to hair growth in several studies that I've read on the benefits of Emu oil.  Amazing Sealant, I don't use it always but when I do, I cherish it!  

Shine and softness! My hair was being sealed all week with this oil

This moisturizing lotion is awesome?  It makes my hair feel really soft and moisturized and not greasy. Its super creamy but feels light on my hair at the same time.  It also smells great, bonus! 

Here's this photo again enlarged to show you how moist my hair looks after using the Growth lotion all week.

Well, that's my review on the Hydratherma Naturals Line(prods that I've tried) She's has so many products that there has to be something in there for every hair texture!  If you like to use good products preferably from the same line you should give this a try.  This product line gets an A+  from me because it covers all of my " Must Haves" in a hair care line:  

•  Super moisturizing 
• Slip for detangling
• Retails locally
• Moderately priced

If one of these Must Haves  is missing in a product line, I find that I lose interest and stop using their entire line. 

 (Note: I do still use Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing smoothie when I'm putting in protective styles only.  I haven't tried any of  Hydratherma's styling aids yet,  but I will, so stay tuned!  : )  

What are some of your MUST Haves in a Product Line?