How to Rehydrate and Restore Hair After Special Occassion Styling
So you’ve slayed your hairstyle for that special occasion (holiday, vacation, birthday, etc). Maybe you pressed out your curls with heat. Now it’s time for a reset. Below you’ll find my tips to refresh natural hair after special occasion styling.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with switching it up once in a while, but those sleek or stretched styles can leave your hair feeling a little parched. Especially, if you have fine natural hair.
Every day styling shouldn’t involve regular straightening or heavy manipulation. If you’re trying to retain length or simply keep your strands healthy, sticking to the basics is key.
In this article, we’ll walk through simple steps to rehydrate and refresh your hair after using heat or doing a bit more than usual.
This article will go over the steps you can take to rehydrate and refresh natural hair after styling with heat or doing a bit too much manipulation.
Let your hair breathe
Before you do anything, carefully take down your hair from any kind of buns or braids you may have done. Give it a day or so before jumping into wash day and re-styling.
Wash day: Natural hair refresh and reset
Section your hair
Always start wash day by putting your hair into sections. It makes everything more manageable and reduces breakage when handling
Start with a pre-poo
Unless you’ve piled on the product, a pre-poo is a great way to kickstart hydration. If your hair’s been tucked away in a protective style, finger detangle first before adding water to it.
A pre-poo with lots of slip will help ease out tangles.
Do a gentle cleanse
Use a moisturizing shampoo and work through each section. Focus on the scalp, and let the suds rinse down your strands—no need to scrub the ends.
If your hair feels extra dry from product buildup, a clarifying shampoo might be in order. Just be sure to follow up with a moisturizing shampoo to bring some softness back.
Deep condition like your strands depend on it
Because they do!
Especially after heat styling or a long-term protective style, deep conditioning is non-negotiable. It’s the best way to restore hydration to your hair.
Hydration comes from water and humectants getting into your strands when the cuticles are raised during the deep conditioning process. To zhuzh up your deep conditioner for an effective natural hair refresh, try one of these:
- Add a tablespoon of aloe vera powder
- Add olive oil or jojoba oil
- Steam your hair instead of using a regular hooded dryer
Alternative: You can do a hot oil treatment instead. Apply a strengthening oil blend with essential oils (like rosemary or peppermint), then sit under a heat cap for 15-20 minutes before shampooing.
Layer on moisture
After you’ve washed out your deep conditioner, you can continue to infuse your hair with moisture by using a water-based leave-in conditioner. Then, follow a layering method to seal moisture further into your hair:
- LOC (liquid – water, oil, cream)
- LCO (liquid – water, cream, oil)
There are other sealing techniques, but these two are basic and should work just fine at sealing moisture into natural hair.
Your leave-in could also be your cream if it’s rich enough. The goal is to lock in moisture so your hair stays soft and hydrated longer.
Simple styling
Once your natural hair is rehydrated and refreshed, take it easy before jumping into another protective style or using heat again. Just let your hair chill for a bit.
Try styles like:
- Loose twists
- Buns (not too tight!)
- A classic French roll
- Large braids tucked under a headband or scarf
Plus, each of these styles looks great on fine natural hair.
Extra hair love (Optional but beneficial)
Want to go the extra mile? Here are a few bonus ways to show your hair (and scalp) some love:
- Massage your scalp with a nourishing oil
- Trim raggedy ends using the search-and-destroy method (just don’t overdo it or you’ll end up with uneven ends)
- If you notice breakage but your hair isn’t dry, try a protein treatment.
- Use a silk protein treatment for mild breakage
- Go for something like Aphogee 2-Step for more serious damage
- Save protein reconstructors for severely damaged hair—hopefully not the case after one style!
Final Thoughts: Keep Your Natural Hair Flourishing
Styling your hair for special occasions is fun and enjoyable. Just be sure to show your hair a little TLC afterward to keep it thriving.
When you stick to a simple recovery routine, you don’t have to stress about damage from the occasional sleek style.
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