In Brazil, hair care follows a schedule. Instead of reaching for whatever mask is in the cupboard when your hair looks dull, you plan your washes and alternate between hydration, nutrition and reconstruction. That schedule is called a cronograma capilar, and it is the cheapest, gentlest way to bring dry, frizzy or over-processed hair back into condition at home, between salon visits.
What is a cronograma capilar?
A cronograma capilar is a care calendar for your hair. You spread your washes over a few weeks and give your hair just one of the three things it might be asking for each time: water, lipids or protein. Because you alternate, your hair never gets too much of the same thing.
That is where most home routines go wrong. Use nothing but protein masks and you end up with stiff hair that snaps. Hydrate only and your hair feels soft but limp, with no bounce. The balance between the three steps is what gets results.
The three steps
Hydration
Hydration puts water back into the hair. You need it when your hair feels dry, looks dull, goes static or your curls have lost their shape. Look for aloe vera, glycerine, panthenol, hyaluronic acid or plant extracts on the label. This is the step you repeat most often.
Nutrition
Nutrition replaces the oils and butters that keep hair supple and stop it losing moisture. The signs are hair that feels rough, frizzes quickly or has dull ends. Coconut, argan, murumuru and babassu oils and shea butter all work well.
Reconstruction
Reconstruction replaces the protein that bleaching, colouring and heat take out of the hair. The signs: a wet strand stretches a long way and does not spring back, or it snaps. This is the strongest of the three steps, so use it no more than once every two to three weeks. Too much protein leaves you with exactly the hard, brittle hair you were trying to fix.
What does your hair need?
You do not need a test to start. Find yourself in this list:
- Dry, dull, static, curls without shape – start with hydration.
- Rough, frizzy, ends that dry out fast – add nutrition.
- Stretches, snaps, feels elastic when wet – reconstruction is needed.
- Bleached, coloured or heat-styled daily – all three, with reconstruction as a fixed step.
A simple check at home: pull gently on a wet strand. If it snaps straight away, protein is missing. If it stretches a long way and stays slack, the same applies. If it springs back neatly, stick to hydration and nutrition.
A four-week example schedule
Assume two washes a week. This schedule suits dry, frizzy hair without serious damage:
- Week 1: hydration – nutrition
- Week 2: hydration – reconstruction
- Week 3: hydration – nutrition
- Week 4: hydration – nutrition
If your hair is bleached or breaking, swap the second wash in week 3 for reconstruction. If your hair starts to feel stiff after a few weeks, skip one reconstruction and hydrate instead. After four weeks you start again, knowing how your hair responded. That adjustment is part of the schedule.
It also helps to use lukewarm rather than hot water, choose a sulphate-free shampoo, apply your mask to towel-warm hair and never blow-dry or straighten without heat protection.
Cronograma capilar and keratin
A schedule works well alongside a keratin treatment. Keratin smooths the hair; the schedule keeps it healthy. In the weeks after the treatment the focus sits on hydration and nutrition, without heavy protein masks on top. Well-nourished hair holds a treatment noticeably longer, so it is worth reading how long keratin lasts as well.
If you have curls, the schedule is usually the quickest win. Curly hair loses water easily, so it asks for hydration and nutrition far more often than reconstruction. Our page on the curly hair specialist in Amsterdam explains how we match the cut and the care advice to that.
The schedule in the salon
You can get a long way at home, but the first step is often easier in the salon. A Brazilian hair ritual is an intensive 45 to 75 minute treatment in which we use heat and nourishing masks to give your hair exactly the step it is missing. You leave knowing which step to keep up at home, because we assess the structure, thickness and condition of your hair first.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly will I see a difference?
Usually after six to eight washes, so two to four weeks. You notice the drying time and the comb gliding through first, then the shine.
Can I follow a cronograma with coloured or bleached hair?
Yes, and it is even more useful then. Keep reconstruction as a fixed step, no more than once every two weeks, and use colour-safe products.
Can I combine hydration and nutrition in one wash?
You can, but it makes it harder to see what your hair responds to. Keep them separate for the first four weeks, then combine if you like.
What does a hair ritual in the salon cost?
That depends on the length and condition of your hair. Send us a photo on WhatsApp and you will get a personal price indication.
Want to know more?
Read about the Brazilian hair ritual, about the keratin treatment and Brazilian Blowout in Amsterdam, or about the difference between keratin and hair botox. Maria Bonita Hair works with clients in Amsterdam and Noord-Holland, Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00, by appointment only.
