Some of TikTok fitness and beauty creator Em Lora’s earliest hair memories are of sitting under a dryer at the salon, relaxing and straightening her hair. Not until her teen years in the 2010s and a wave of natural-hair creators dominated YouTube did she learn to care for and embrace her type 3 and 4 curls. It was a learning curve, but after slowly cutting off dead ends and figuring out her hair type and porosity, she finally found a routine that worked. After a few bouts with blonde hair, the 27-year-old found her signature shade of ginger. To prevent damage, she gets routine sew-ins and keeps her hair and scalp hydrated. Here’s how she maintains both her color and a regular schedule in the gym.
9 p.m.: Every two weeks, I deep-clean my scalp. I use a head massager to wash it. I was using different drugstore brands, but my colorist recommended K18’s products instead because they’re color safe. I use the Damage Shield ph shampoo all over my scalp and the hair itself and wash and detangle. I detangle at every step.
I also use L’Oréal’s EverPure Moisture Rosemary Oil Shampoo, but as I said, I’ve started using the K18 Damage Shield more. Typically, I’ll use the same brand throughout my process. I’m not sure if it makes a difference, but it’s been really working for me.
9:05 p.m.: Usually, I’ll use the K18 Damage Shield conditioner after and wash most of it out, but I leave in just enough to detangle. Every three to four weeks, I skip the conditioner and use the leave-in conditioner, and that helps to keep the curl and my leave-out soft and smooth. I make sure not to overdo it because that’s how you weigh down your curls, and the products can’t penetrate the hair as well.
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9:20 p.m.: After towel drying, I use a tiny bit of Aussie Miracle Waves so my hair can retain a bit of moisture and I can further detangle. It’s so easy for my hair to get tangled, even if I’m just moving my head. I recently discovered the Doux Crazy Sexy Curly, and it’s amazing. It leaves my hair so defined, and it’s a good prep for when I do my flexi rods for my leave-out.
9:40 p.m.: I don’t heat-style my hair; I’ve done it only once for a special occasion. I just sit under the hooded dryer, but it depends on the night. If I start my routine early, I’ll air-dry, but if I don’t have the time, I’ll sit under the hooded dryer for 30 minutes and read a book or watch my favorite show.
10:10 p.m.: When I go to sleep, if my hair is still not 100 percent dry, I’ll use a silk pillowcase. I sleep like a vampire, so I lie on my back, push all my hair up, and sleep like that. If I put it in a high bun on top of my head or a pineapple when it’s not dry, the curls start to get bent. If it’s fully dry, I’ll do a silk scrunchie and put it in a pineapple, then wrap a scarf over it and then put an extra-large silk bonnet over it so it’s super-protected. The next day, I flip it over and shake everything out. I use the Cécred hair oil and edge drops every single day. I tend to have a dry scalp, so I need to constantly rehydrate my hair; if it’s in braids, it’s a lot more susceptible to dryness.
On workouts:
When I go to the gym, I put my hair up in a pineapple because it’s easier for air to flow through. After the gym, I’ll spritz the Cécred Scalp Refreshing Spray between the braids in my sew-in to keep them fresh between washes. I wait about an hour after the gym to let my hair down. I’m not prone to scalp sweat, so that helps as well. I use Gymwrap, it’s a sweat band you tie in the back, and I swear by these. I have one in every color; they catch all the sweat and leave my edges laid.
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On hair-color maintenance:
I go to a colorist based in Queens whenever I need a touch-up in my roots or brows, which is sometimes every three weeks because brows grow so fast, or at least every month and a half. To get this color, I made a mood board because I had different ideas of how I wanted it to look, and she mixed three shades.
I don’t use glosses, but I think sulfate-free and pH-balanced shampoos help a lot with the color. Red and ginger won’t stay as vibrant as when you get out of the salon chair, but those types of shampoos help. I try not to refresh my curls a lot with water because it can fade the color. When I would do my curly-hair routine before using the Doux Crazy Sexy Curl, I would have to refresh with water and the color wouldn’t be as vibrant. The mousse helps keep the definition.
