Natural Hair Journey Tips and Recommendations

Hey Beauty! Are you new to the natural hair world and wondering where to start? Well, we know the struggle! From twists, braids, and wash & gos to weave and crochets, we have lived and understand the struggle that can happen when transitioning to your new normal and we're here to help. The name of the game is PATIENCE, CONSISTENCY and QUALITY PRODUCTS. These are all super important elements to getting the results that you desire in a realistic amount of time. YOU CAN DO IT! We are here with you to help take your routine from sad and frustrating to exhilarating and efficient.

I'M TRANSITIONING TO NATURAL HAIR....

So, you've taken a leap and did a thing! You have decided to embrace your natural crown. Congratulations! What you've really decided to do is connect with all of yourself and commit to being completely 100% YOU! We're proud of you!

So what now? Well, you need products. Great news is that all of Runway's products are 100% natural. Yes, you read that right...NO BAD STUFF...EVER! No alcohol, no bi- this or tri- that. No fillers, unnecessary additives to plump up the consistency...no, no, no. What that does for you is delivers nurture to your strands in every single drop of your products. That LITERALLY excites us just thinking about it!

Must haves:

Black Sea Moisturizing Shampoo: an all natural shampoo that delivers excellent softening, nourishing and moisturizing power to your hair while gently cleansing it. Filled with select ingredients such as Bamboo and Sea Kelp, this shampoo is value-priced but worth a million dollars and your hair will thank you for it.

Mask & Serum Set: versatile deep conditioning mask that can be left in with a braid/twist out OR used with heat or a cap to infuse growth herbs, plant proteins and essential oils into your stands to plump them and then be rinsed out. The serums are both infused w/growth herbs to ensure your new growth sprouts brilliantly and carefully and ensures that your current crown & scalp are hydrated and fed. We have two to choose from: Green Tea and Mango Honey-Love. Head over to the product page to read about them in detail!

Curl my Crown Citrus Flax Jelly: The Jelly is made of flax seeds to give your twist/braid outs or wash & gos a magnificent medium hold and POP! This jelly will help pull out your texture and curl pattern as you are transitioning! No alcohol and no funny business to produce your gel...just amazing combination of natural ingredients from the Earth!

Runway Hair Detangle Brush: you THOUGHT you had a good brush but we're telling you, you'll want to throw your whole brush away once you've used ours! You'll need this to detangle your hair and caress your curls WITHOUT pulling out the strands that are ALIVE & WELL!

Your new routine:

So you have your products....now it's time to train your hair. Total myth that natural hair takes hours and hours to tame. Initially, as you're learning your hair and your new routine...sure..but in reality, your routine will begin to get quicker as you continue! Also, your hair will begin to understand what it's supposed to do...EVEN BETTER!

The twist or braid out!

Every 3-7 days (depending on how your hair responds to your new investment in it), wash your hair w/the Black Sea Moisturizing Shampoo.
Directly after rinsing shampoo out, section off into 4-6 sections and apply the mask. A little goes a long way so use sparingly but ensure mask is applied to all of hair.
Twist or braid sections and allow to dry over the course of the day or overnight. Once fully dry, untwist hair and separate with your finger. Continue to untwist until level of BIG is achieved!
For added texture, shine and hold, apply a small bit (dime-sized) amount of Curl my Crown Citrus Flax Jelly to your strands after the mask but before you braid or twist!
To sleep, you can "pineapple" your hair meaning place in a high bun on top of your head OR section into 4-6 pieces and twist or braid. You do not have to apply more product but can if you need additional support.
If you are heading out quick and don't want to leave your house in braids or twists, simply apply heat via a blow dryer or sit-under dryer for about 30 minutes or until dry. WE WOULD ONLY RECOMMEND APPLYING HEAT ONCE PER WEEK OR EVERY OTHER WEEK. Less heat is better. Best to allow your hair to dry without heat whenever possible.

The Wash&Go

Follow steps above EXCEPT DON'T TWIST OR BRAID!
You'll want to saturate the jelly (quarter size per section vs. dime; can use more if needed) into your hair and use the Runway Hair Detangling Brush to ensure all the tangles are out.
Allow your hair to air dry and voila! Now, how did you get prettier??!!! Thank us later!
To sleep, you can "pineapple" your hair meaning place in a high bun on top of your head OR section into 4-6 pieces and twist or braid. You do not have to apply more produt but can if you need additional support.

Protective Styling

The styles are endless! Braids, twists, crochets, sew-ins, etc. And let’s face it, you will at some point want a break from your daily, weekly routine. Just remember to be GENTLE on your tresses. DO NOT get super tight hairstyles that create the little bumps in your head or snatch your edges. Also, continue to CLEAN & MOISTURIZE your scalp! If you let your scalp build up with product or dry out, you defeat the purpose of the protective while potentially breaking your hair, which would mean NO growth.

I'VE HAD NATURAL HAIR FOR AWHILE BUT I'M NOT HAPPY WITH MY RESULTS.....

Yes, been here, done all of that! We get it! Natural can be time-consuming and have you question your whole entire life! But Beauty, we're here to tell you that its so possible! We swear...it is.

The good news is you can follow all the steps above and achieve the look you want! You should think about increasing your frequency from every 3-7 days to every 2-4 days for 2 weeks straight so that your hair can indulge in everything that it's been missing and understand that it can relax and trust your new products and process. You also will want to do more twist and braid out when possible until your hair gets accustomed to its new normal.