The order of your products absolutely matters, wether you're wearing your hair naturally curly or blown out smooth.
It goes without saying Shampoo and Conditioner first, and yes, quality does make a difference. I remember thinking electric tooth brushes were a scam but my dentist assured me they weren't, so I bought one from him. Turns out, they actually are better than your basic tooth brush. Quality hair products are the same.
Masques are next. Your hair will never be mad at you when you take the time to do a masque. Some folks will need a lighter weight one, some a richer, heavier one. On days you do a masque, skip conditioner. Utilize a masque 1-4 times a month depending on your hair needs. Leave the masque on for 5-30 min and rinse fully.
Now for styling products!
Hydrating products first! These are products like leave-ins, detanglers, blowout balms & creams.
Next up, products with hold. This includes root lifting products, mousse, gel & foams.
You want to hydrate and nourish your hair, then lock it all in with "encouragers." Encouragers are building products. Products that build, enhance or encourage. Wether that's volume, body, curl definition, or hold.
Some wash days can be simple, with one moisturizer and one encourager.
Other wash days may be more complex. For example, a detangler, moisturizer, root lift spray, a gel, and a light weight foam layered on top.
Lastly, finishers! Finishers are things like dry texture spray, hair spray, dry heat protectant sprays, and oils. These products can add additional hold, longevity, body or shine to hair after drying (wether thats air drying or blowdrying.)
If you'd like to see hands on videos of product applications, blowouts, curly wash days and more, check out Craft & Mane Academy.
For more inspo and info, follow along here at @craft_and_mane
Happy hair days!
-Nikki Kepley
