KEEPING IT SIMPLE..OUR NATTY REGIMEN FOR OUR NATTY KIDS

Greetings, Everyone!! I pray all is well..Now, here is one question I receive lots lots lots of times over..'How do I care for my kiddies' tresses?' Now, I'm a firm believer in using natural healthy products with the understanding that ingredients can seep into our pores and into our blood system creating toxin buildup in our bodies that can create adverse effects sooner or later. With that being said, the use of healthy products are not all that's detailed in how I care for my kids' hair..oh, yea, we have 4 of the wittle waskally wascals. And with a busy life, I try not to spend loads of time on hair. With helping to retain length, I find that simplicity is best. Keep the scalp clean, no tight ponytails, no tension on the edges, keep the edges and ends moisturized and sealed, easy with the styling tools ( I mostly finger detangle). And, I keep a simple consistent regimen that is very similar to my own: Cleanse, Condition, Moisturize, Seal. Same exact products that I use are the exact same products used on all 4 of our kids and my hubby as well. Yea, they're gentle enough yet beast enough to do what they need to do from the youngest coily coil to the most mature mass of locs. So, with that said, here is how I maintain my little ones' hair.

THE PICTORIAL STEP BY STEP

STEP 1-2 DIVIDE, CONQUER AND CLEANSE

Place hair into 3, 4 or more sections to minimize the hair re-tangling and to lessen wash time. Working one section at a time, I apply a dime sized amount of the Dudu Osum shampoo and massage in focusing on her scalp to aid in removing product buildup, dirt and debris. The shampoo softens her hair allowing me to gently finger detangle. Rinse and repeat on the next section

STEP 3-4 DEEP CONDITION

Soak up the excess water with an old T-shirt which minimizes frizz and friction and apply our Natty Cupuacu (pronounced coo-poo-wah-soo)and Rhassoul Deep Conditioner. I work through and lightly finger comb through, working one section at a time. Repeat on each section and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes while enjoying bath time. Rinse and soak up excess water with old t-shirt.

STEP 5 PROTECT AND APPLY THE LEAVE IN

 I spray our Natty ACV Hair & Scalp Mist onto her hair and scalp helping to close her cuticle and keep her scalp protected from bacteria, fungi and other contaminants. Shampoos are formulated at higher pH levels in order to effectively cleanse the hair properly by lifting the cuticles. After cleansing, it is important to close the cuticle on the hair which help protect the hair follicle as well as minimize frizz and impart shine, this is where the Scalp Mist and Natty Moist come into play. I then add our Natty Moist leave in conditioner to her hair. and throughly finger it through.

STEP 6 SEAL/LOCK IN THE MOISTURE

 I Seal/Lock in the moisture by applying Natty Butter to my hand, rubbing it down and applying to her moisturized hair and style as desired. I normally place her hair in buns or simple twists or plaits as low manipulation styles.

STEP 7 ACCESSORIZE..SMOOCHES..ENJOY!

 Add accessories of your choice and kiss, kiss, kiss your little one and enjoy!

** For the scoop on how I refresh our little ones' hair, please click HERE

As always, I hope this helps..Have a Happy Natty Day!!

RE-FRESHING THE LITTLE ONE'S NATURAL HAIR

Greetings, Everyone!! I pray all is well with you. 

Ah, the daunting task of grooming our little ones!! Actually, I have found the task, not so daunting. What works for me is the 'keep it simple' rule. I keep products simple and grooming time simple..I just do not have the time on my hands to take loads of time doing hair. I do get the question, 'do I use different products on our little ones than I do for myself?' The answer..no..Not only do I use the exact same products, my husband and other 3 children use the same products..again, we live by the 'keep it simple rule'. So, here is my step by step on remoisturizing and refreshing my little one's hair in 3 Steps. As always, I hope this helps.

STEP 1: MOISTURIZE 

This is an extremely important step in ensuring the health of hair. I begin by placing her hair into 4 sections. Working one section at a time, I spray our Natty ACV Hair & Scalp Mist onto her hair until damp. Work the moisture in thoroughly making sure to cost each strand. Gently finger detangle. Using the mist is the quickest way for me to hydrate and detangle her hair. It also helps to keep her hair and scalp ph balanced as well as protect the scalp from dirt, debris, fungi and other contaminants due to the ingredients. 

Step 2: SEAL. 

Once her hair is hydrated, I apply our Natty Butter to lock in the moisture and give her hair a nice sheen. I rub the butter into my hands to melt instantly, then apply to her hair. I make sure to hydrate and seal her ends and edges. I apply a heavier amount of butter to her ends to keep them healthy. Always keep in mind..Butters, Oils and pomades are known as 'SEALANTS'. Due to the fact that they do not contain moisturizing properties of water, they do not act as moisturizers. Applying the items to un-moisturized hair will give you greasy, not moisturized hair, which leads to further dryness. Moisturize FIRST, then apply your butter, oil or pomade to SEAL in the moisture SECOND.

Step 3: STYLE. 

I normally place her hair in plaits then bun it up to keep her ends protected. I never make the plaits too tight or place extreme tension on her hair, which can lead to breakage and thinning. I usually don't have to remoisturize for 4-5 days sometimes longer... Of course, each child is different, so please take note of how often you may need to remoisturize your child's hair. 

Key Notes: In terms of dryness, just like with our own hair, there are many factors that can aid in dryness, such as: improper diet, lack of water intake, stress, harsh ingredients in products, harsh combing and brushing, product buildup, dead ends, not properly moisturizing (see Step 2 again). Be sure to see what products and techniques may be the cause of your little one's hair issues then take action. Hope this helps.

Naomi's Refreshed Hair

O'NATTY KIDS..REGIMEN FOR MY LITTLE ONES

Hola Chicas/Chicos...I pray all is well with everyone!
Ok, so I get this question a ton times ten on regimens for little Natty kids, so I thought, this would be a great opportunity to share how I care for my little one's tresses to keep their hair clean, moisturized and most times, neat, lol (wink). This regimen, I do for our 2 year old and 3 year old son. Our olderst, who is 6, likes to cleanse and moisturize his own hair since he had it cut, but before that, his regimen was the same as the info below when I was growing it out. Now, for our newborn (1 month old), he's slightly different in that, I dilute the cleanser more, but I do moisturize and seal in the moisture just as I will mention below. And as always, I hope this helps, guys!


STEP 1:KIDDY CLEANSING TIME...HOW IN THE WORLD DO THEY SIT STILL???

• Hmm, great question, how in the world does she sit still while you cleanse..First, let me say, I found a method that works for us and that is, I do most of the cleansing process outside of the tub or sink..I mist the hair with our Natty ACV Hair and Scalp mist to loosen the dirt and buildup, especially from the scalp..I even allow them to spray their own hair to let them feel as though they are cleansing their own hair..Now, I usually do this while a great show is on (Dora, Peppa Pig, SuperWHY, Yo Gabba Gabba or some other fantastic kid show) or I let them play on their Ipad in a comfortable position so they are distracted or we sing..loudly, and I proceed to spray away and massage their scalp. 
• Once the hair is hydrated and damp, I finger detangle, gently, and place our daughter's hair into 2 twists or braids (same method I use when cleansing my hair. Placing hair in twists or braids prevents the hair from retangling during the cleansing process).
• Once the hair is in the twists or braids, I apply cleanser to my hands (usually Dudu Osum's African Black Soap shampoo..only all natural for my little ones) and gently massage the cleanser into her scalp, first, then undo one twist/braid at a time and apply a little cleanser down the hair and retwist/braid back up and move to the next one. Doing a massage while cleansing gets the blood circulating promoting healthy hair growth..and kids love it!
• This entire process takes about maybe 10-15 minutes..That's 10-15 mintues that you have saved water, detangled and cleansed the hair.
• PLEASE NOTE: I only shampoo cleanse our little ones' hair once per month. Weekly, I co-wash (conditioner wash) the hair, which helps in retaining moisture in the hair. This works for us because we do not use synthetic ingredients or tons of product that would require a thorough cleansing using a shampoo as often.

STEP 2: NOW IT'S TIME TO RINSY RINSE THAT DIRT AWAY

• Now that the cleansing part is over, it's time to head to the bath or sink to rinse. By this time, she is calm and ready.
• Once in the bath/sink, I unravel one twist/braid at a time and rinse the hair with lukewarm water and run my fingers through the hair allowing the weight of the water to help further the detangling process. 
• Voila, hair cleansed and rinsed and ready for conditioning.

STEP 3: CONDITION, RINSE, MOISTURIZE AND SEAL

• Once the hair is rinsed, I apply our Natty Moist conditioner to the hair and finger it throughone sectionat a time to ensure each strand is coated, then retwist/braid.
• While the conditioner is marinating on the hair(5-10 minutes at the most), we have fun bath time.
• After about 5-10 minutes, we rinse the conditioner, and I pour a little Natty ACV Hair and Scalp Mist onto her hair as a final rinse...hmmm, what does this do, you ask? Well, the ACV helps to protect the hair and scalp from any possible soam residue, protects the scalp and hair from contaminants, fungi and bacteria possibities from tap water and it helps to close the cuticle, giving hair it's smooth appearance. (If using plain ACV rinse, just add 1 TSP of ACV to 8 oz of cool water and pour onto hair and scalp. The smell will disappear within minutes)
• Apply a little Natty Moist as her leave in
• Seal the moisturized hair with our Natty Butter to ensure that the moisture is locked in. Remember, whenever you apply a moisturizer (water or a water based product), you must LOCK/SEAL the moisture in with a butter, oil, or combo of both. This is what helps the hair remain moisturized. I never apply oil or butter to her scalp as our scalp produces natural sebum and when we oil the scalp we are in essence clogging the pores and preventing the scalp from producing it's natural oils. Once the scalp malfunction and this could potentially lead to scalp issues such as dry flaky scalp. The only time oil is pretty safe to apply is if doing a 'hot oil treatment' which is washed out after a certain time.

STEP 4...STYLE AS YOU CHOOSE

• Now that the hair is clean, moisturized and sealed, you can style as you choose. Now, I rarely allow our daughter's hair to be out due to the possiblity of retangling and achieving knots. So, I either place them in 4 plaits and wrap them in bantu knots or I give her some puffs, which I twist at night.
• Now, at night, because she wouldn't dare keep a satin scarf or bonnet on her head, I just place a satin pillow in her bed to keep her tresses moisturized.

DO'S AND DON'TS FOR THE LITTLE ONES

• DO NOT... Detangle on hair that is dry!! This is a huge culprit for breakage and split ends..and it's quite painful for the little one. 
• DO... Always gently detangle on damp or wet hair and begin detangling from tip, working your way up to the root.
• DO..When remoisturizing hair thrughout the week..FIRST, apply water or a water based product to hydrate the hair, then apply a butter or oil to lock in the moisture.
• DO NOT..Place hair in styles that create too much tention on the hair, especially the edges.
• DO...Keep ends properly moisturized and sealed. 
• DO NOT..Try as hard as possible to work on the hair when your little ones are fed, not cranky or sleepy..no matter how gentle, they will make a fuss, so try to designate a convenient time when you are both alert and in great spirits.
• DO..Use a wide tooth comb as your method of detangling should you choose to use a detangling tool..Or a detangling brush such as the denman or other wide tooth brush
• DO..Remember, if you make it a non hassle pleasant hair grooming time, it won't feel so much like a battle of the ages!! My mom was even impressed with how well our daughter doesn't struggle to get her hair done..SCORE!!

I FOLLOW THIS REGIMEN WITH MY BOYS AS WELL

 He has since cut his hair :-(

OUR PRODUCTS WE USE: GOO TEAM NATTY!!

Products available at: www.nattynatural.com