HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR NATURAL HAIR

Your hair, like other parts of your body, needs constant care to stay healthy. More than anything, the health of your hair should be your main focus. We know you are eager to try out new hairstyles. And this can make you focus your hair care regimen on getting more growth or volume.

Sorry to break it to you, but you can’t bully your hair into more growth or volume. Some people have short hair and some have long hair. So, we advise you to take a chill pill. Instead of focusing on what your hair is or should be, focus on getting healthy hair. We promise you, this is a game-changer. 

Many people who keep their natural hair will tell you that hair care can be complicated and tiring. But it doesn’t have to be. So, we have brought you five easy ways to keep your hair healthy. Let’s get into it. 

Adopt a Suitable Wash Routine

We know everyone washes their hair. But how? Adopting a suitable wash routine for your hair is not just about cleaning dirt or product buildup from your hair. It is picking the right products for your wash day. What kinds of shampoo fit your hair? Should you use oil-based conditioners? How frequently should you wash your hair? These are questions you should keep in mind. Here is a basic routine that you can tweak to fit your hair. 

• Prepoo Your Hair

The prepooing process of your hair routine is the preparation process. It is important to prepare your hair because some shampoos contain ingredients like sulfate and paraben that may strip your hair of its natural oil. You can prepoo by applying oils like olive oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil. You should also detangle your hair in this stage, especially type 3 and 4 hairs. 

• Shampoo Your Hair

This is the process of actually washing your hair. Shampooing your hair helps remove product buildup and keeps the hair clean. Apply a generous amount of sulfate-free shampoo to your damp hair and massage it gently. Rinse the shampoo off with warm water. 

• Deep-condition Your Hair

Although everyone needs to condition regularly, if you have curly or coily hair, you don’t want to skip this step. Deep conditioning keeps your hair moisturized and healthy. After rinsing out the shampoo from your hair, apply your deep conditioner to the hair and cover it with a shower cap. Rinse out the conditioner after 10 to 20 minutes and you’re good to go. 

FAQ About Taking Care of your Natural Hair: 

How often should I wash my hair?

Answer: 

It depends on your hair type. Type 1 – every 2 days, type 2 – every 3 to 4 days, type 3 – every week, type 4 – every 2 weeks. 

Get the Right products

We know that there seem to be countless options of hair products to choose from. And that this can be really confusing to both new and existing members of the natural hair community. This confusion leads a lot of people to buy every hair product they see on the shelf. 

The key is to keep it simple and flexible. Whatever products you use should suit your hair type, density, and porosity. They should also be adaptable to the changes in the needs of your hair. Some products may take time to show the wanted results, so you need to exercise patience. If you get reactions like irritation or discomfort while using a product, stop using it immediately. 

Here are the essential hair products every naturalista should have in their bathroom:

1. Cleaning Products

As we said earlier, washing your natural hair is important. But you can’t use just any shampoo for your hair. You need to avoid shampoos that contain ingredients like sulfate and paraben. Sulfates are chemicals used in detergents, dishwashing liquids, and so on to make them clean better. This chemical is bad for your hair. 

2. Conditioning Products

Conditioning your hair is important, especially if you have curly or coily hair. It moisturizes the hair and fixes hair damage. Whether you do deep conditioning or not depends on your hair type and hair porosity level. 

3. Leave-in Conditioners

Most hair types benefit from leave-in conditioners. They are useful for detangling after washing and they moisturize the hair. 

4. Water-based Moisturizers

There are a lot of moisturizers that don’t work because they contain ingredients like petrolatum, mineral oil, and lanolin. Water-based moisturizers contain humectants and emollients which keep the hair moisturized and soft. 

5. Natural oils

A lot of people think oils are moisturizers themselves but that’s not correct. Oils should be used as sealers to keep the water-based moisturizer you have used in. They also give the hair a shine. You can use oils like carrot oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, etc. 

Upgrade Your Sleeping Materials

You need to upgrade your sleeping materials such as hair scarf/bonnet, bedspread, and pillowcase to silk or satin for you to protect your hair from dehydration and frizzling. Sleeping on a cotton pillowcase can soak up all your hair moisture and leave you with dry and coarse hair. So, get satin bedspreads and pillowcases as well. Always remember to sleep with a satin cap or bonnet to protect your hair from losing all its moisture. 

Visit our virtual store for beautiful silky satin hair bonnets and caps. 

Keep Your Hair Hydrated

Another important way to keep your hair healthy is to always keep it hydrated. Keeping your hair hydrated strengthens your scalp and helps you fight hair problems. It also keeps your hair shiny and alive. 

Water is a basic hydrating element for the hair so your hair should never run out of water. This could be from you drinking it or applying some to your hair. Studies have shown that drinking at least 6 glasses of water every day helps your hair retain moisture. You can apply water to your hair before detangling it or before applying other moisturizers. 

Application: Put water in a spray bottle and spray on sectioned hair (for easy and even distribution) from roots to end. 

Trim Your Ends Regularly

Split ends are pests of natural hair. They indicate hair damage. They soak up hair moisture and leave the hair dehydrated. Cutting off your split ends is important for your hair’s health because it allows your hair to retain moisture. It also helps you monitor your hair growth. 

You can check for splits in your hair by running your fingers through some strands to feel for breakage. You can also glide your fingers over your hair, if the hair feels rough, it could be a sign of split ends. 

When trimming your ends, trim past the splitting point, or else it’ll continue splitting. 

Coming up with a hair care regimen that works for your hair is going to take some time. You will have to do a little trial and error, and that’s totally fine. Keep the routine simple and flexible, don’t overwhelm your hair. Just remember that the most important thing is for your hair to stay healthy.