The Effects of the Baggy Method on Natural Hair

Thursday night, I decided to help curb my hair dryness by doing the baggy method. I will explain in detail what the baggy method is in a later post, but basically it is where you create a steaming effect on your head by locking in moisturized hair underneath a plastic cap or bag. The warm environment opens up the cuticles along your hair shaft thus allowing moisture to easily diffuse into the strand for improved moisture balance and hair elasticity. Here are some pictures breaking down the steps I took in utilizing the baggy method on my dry natural hair:

My hair was saturated with water. This is a texture shot of just water on my hair alone. My hair just looks pitifully dry even with water alone. :(

I applied some of my modified version of Kimmaytube's leave-in conditioner through the section of hair. Instantly, my ends popped with curls. The leave-in made me hair feel really soft as usual. I distributed the leave-in while my hair was still damp using my modified Goody's Denman brush from tip to root. This ensured that I got all the tangles out my hair.

I braided my hair in four box braids and pinned them up using one of my mini Goody's spin pins. Since I have so many grocery bags laying around, I used one to baggy my hair. I originally planned to baggy overnight only but went ahead and kept the bag over my head the entire day yesterday.

I covered my bag with my black satin bonnet for bedtime. I kept it on underneath my wig throughout the day yesterday.

Last night before clarifying my hair, for emphasis, I removed the braid from the same section shown in the first picture to show you the dramatic difference baggy can make on your hair. The warm, moist environment from the baggy method infused my hair with so much moisture and definition.

My curls were more defined after the baggy method.

Another curl texture picture

I was well pleased with the results of the baggy method. It really restored my hair to a moisture level I am comfortable and satisfied with. I also think that re-visiting the Kimmaytube's leave-in recipe helped with the results. I have been using the Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothe and Curl Hair Milk to help keep my hair moisturized, but these two products have not been delivering the results I need for my hair right now. I feel like they coat my hair more than infuse moisture into my hair strands. I am continuously trying to find ways to make the Shea Moisture line work for my hair, but I might have to stick with using these products when I do twists. I don't know. Still tweaking. Still learning. But the purpose of this post was to show the benefit of baggying natural hair to help combat hair dryness that so many of us can experience. Hope this helps!