Natural Hair Rocks! - Tips To Care For Yours...

 Natural hair is in vogue now, as a lot of us are embracing the fact that curly hair can Rock. It's okay to join the trend, but there are considerations to be made. 

photo culled from omonis website.

Firstly, going natural is not easy. It requires a lot of time and patience. But the reward is a beautiful thick mane. Secondly, it requires money to maintain and a lot of creativity, because there are days when you won't know what to do with the hair. Lol.

So,there are two ways to go natural. You either transition by discontinuing the use of relaxer and letting your relaxed ends grow out before you cut them off. Or, you do the big chop. However, if you're hair is really limp and damaged with no hairline, it's advisable to do the big chop. You must also note that short fro will look better with a fuller hairline, so you might want to work on that before the big chop. 

Now, products. Because African hair can be very dry and is really curly, you need to base your hair care routine on sulfate-free products. 

Sulfates are good for removing product build-up on the hair, but not suitable for everyday use. So, get a shampoo and conditioner that doesn't contain sulfates. An affordable brand is cantu. Shea moisture is also good but more expensive because of the ethical nature of the company that produces it. Our dark and lovely have a curly hair range and so does cream of nature, but you may want to check if they are sulfate free. Most of the products in the market are for relaxed and texturised hair so you need to read description. Sulfate free brands usually have 'sulfate free' written on them. 

Next, you get a leave in conditioner. To keep your hair soft and make it easy to comb during the day. And a hair moisturizer. 

You also need oils: olive oil, castor oil, coconut oil, Jamaican black castor oil, almond oil.... Are all oils that are good for sealing moisture on your hair. 

Never forget your Shea butter (ori) and natural cocoa butter (not processed one).Never mistake oils or Shea butter for moisturizers.  They aren't heavy enough to moisturize but they can seal in moisture gotten from moisturizers. So u apply the, afterwards. 

Your weekly routine should include:

1. Wash once a week with your shampoo. Then follow up with your conditioner .

2. Co-wash once a week. Co-washing is washing with conditioner. You don't need a shampoo after wards.

3. Do a deep conditioning treatment AT LEAST once a week. You can use the regular hair mayonnaise for this. Just add egg yolk to the portion you want to use on your hair, to increase the protein content. 

4. You can add a deep moisture treatment (once a week) to your routine. Especially if you have very dry and stubborn hair.

Now, these deep treatments work better with heat. So it's advisable to cover your hair in a shower cap when your sitting idly at home for a couple of hours (or even over night) to let your body heat 'werk' them on. If you have a bonnet dryer at home, better for you. Just get it on for 30-45 minutes. 

Your daily routine should include

1. Water. Yes sprinkle water on your hair before you comb or style. Water quenches our thirst and so does it quench the thirst of our hair. 

2. Leave in conditioner. This keeps the hair soft

3. Hair moisturize, especially if your hair is very dry. 

4. Oil of your choice. If you can mix more than one oil in a spray bottle and spray on your hair, that's even better. You get all the goodness of the various oils at once .

5. Silk scarf, pillowcase and/or hair bonnet. This is to retain moisture while you sleep. 

Rules:

1. Don't expect magic. Imagine your hair is a new born baby's hair that's just starting to grow. You wont see a baby girl with waist length locks. So give your hair time to grow. 

2. Expect shrinkage. Shrinkage Na bastard. It makes you feel like, you're not making progress. But if you stretch your hair and do a length check, you will see that it's actually growing. Some people are lucky not to experience as much shrinkage as others.

3. Never comb your hair when it's dry. Please wet your hair with water from a spray bottle. Combing dry hair can cause breakage.

As for hair supplements, biotin is the doctors recommended supplement for hair growth and maintenance. It really helps your natural healthy hair grow well. There are others that claim to work magic. Please be careful about them, especially if you're TTC. Check with your doctor before you use. 

There are also DIY hair treatments that can work wonders for your hair I.e. Stuff you can mix on your own from your kitchen cabinet. Be free to look them up online and follow instructions. Some people swear by palm oil, others by banana. Lol. But Egg yolk and mayonnaise, mixed with avocado pear and coconut oil works as a great protein/moisturizing deep conditioner all in one. Just learn to understand your hair and do what agrees with it. 

These tips aren't exclusive to curly Afro hair only. Even if you have relaxed hair, please feel free to indulge. All hair textures are beautiful and should be well maintained. 

Hope I've not forgotten anything? 

Remain fabulous. 

BV 

Chikito a.k.a The professional runs girl