Natural black hair can become dry and brittle if it isn’t properly cared for. With a little extra effort, you can keep your hair sleek, shiny and full of moisture.
Wash Your Hair Less
Washing your hair will strip it of natural moisture, resulting in hair that becomes dried out and brittle. To avoid product build-up, wash your hair once every one to two weeks, and try to go as long as you can between washes to keep the natural oils in your hair.
Choose a shampoo designed for your hair type. It should be moisturising to keep your hair soft. If you need to wash more often, dilute your shampoo with water to minimise product build-up.
Condition
Even if you’re washing your hair with shampoo less often, you can ‘wash’ it with conditioner. This locks in moisture and helps to keep natural curls manageable with less frizz. Focus the conditioner on the ends of your hair. The ends tend to be dryer, so you’ll add moisture where you need it, and not end up with greasy roots.
Apply a deep conditioning treatment every two weeks to pack in a real moisture hit. Look for conditioners with natural oils, which will give shine without adding extra weight.
Avoid Silicones and Sulfates
Products using silicones and sulfates might give you shiny hair, but they’re also drying. The harshness of the sulfates strips natural oils, leaving your hair dry and breakable. Instead, use natural hair masks or oils to add shine without stripping your hair.
Use A Wide Toothed Comb
Style gently with a wide toothed comb to minimize breakage. Start from the ends and work up to your roots to ease out any tangles without damaging your hair. Brushes make your hair frizzy, so stick with the comb for smooth locks.
Detangle with slightly damp hair to avoid damage, and detangle with your fingers in between combing.
Avoid Heat Styling
Heat styling causes dryness and damage. Try to limit heat, and when you must use heat styling, keep the temperature a little lower and make sure you always use a heat protective spray. Opt for ceramic rather than metal plates on straighteners, as they’re gentler on the hair.
Choose Gentler Styles
Be careful how you style your hair. Pulling your hair back into a tight ponytail or braids looks great, but puts pressure on the hair and scalp. This can lead to crimps or breakage. In the worst cases, it can cause pressure and hair thinning around the hairline. Choose gentler styles, and use snag free hair bands to tie it back.
Beautiful head scarves can be worn as an accessory that looks great without causing stress on your hair. A satin scarf is perfect for natural hair, as it’s gentle but will keep hair neatly in place. It can even help to prolong a blowout or control frizz. A scarf also protects the hair from the elements, keeping it looking good as long as possible.
If a style like a weave or braids hurts, it’s too tight. Avoid too tight styles, and protect hair by using gentle clips without metal fastenings.
Opt For Sewn In Weaves
Weaves are a great option to protect the hair, if you put them in properly. Always opt for sewn in weaves and never glue. Glue can rip the natural hair, causing a lot of damage.
You want your weave the right amount of tightness, so make sure you regularly see your hairdresser to have it corrected. Too tight will pull at the root, but not enough tight enough will pull the hair and cause breakage.
Change you weave every one and a half to three months. Give your hair a break between weaves to give it time to breathe and recover before having a new one put in.
Be Careful With Relaxing
Relaxing hair is very popular, but proceed with caution. Make sure you get it down by a professional every time, and don’t relax your hair yourself. If you do choose to try to relax your own hair, read the instructions very carefully and follow them exactly.
Relaxer should only be applied to new growth. If you put relaxer onto already relaxed hair, it’s going to become over-treated and weak. While relaxing, protect the hair with olive oil or a rich conditioner, to prevent drying. Avoid a relaxer with too many chemical sounding ingredients, and don’t reapply too often.
Let It Rest
Between styles, whether that’s a weave or cornrows, remember to give your hair a break occasionally. Wear it naturally for a week or two to let it recover from styling. This way, you give your hair a chance to repair any damage done by styles.
This is when your silk scarf or other accessories like pretty hair clips will come in handy!
Sleep On Satin
You can do a surprising amount of damage to your hair while you sleep, especially if you’re a fidgety sleeper. Use a satin or silk pillowcase to minimise frizz and breakage as you sleep. Cotton can snag at hair, causing breakage, and can also draw out moisture. Silk pillowcases are much gentler on the hair, and are even better for your skin too.
If you can’t get a satin or silk pillowcase, consider wrapping your hair into a silk scarf at night to protect it that way instead.
Add Moisture
Keep your locks soft by adding in extra moisture. A natural oil, like olive, castor or coconut is great for the ends of the hair. It keeps the ends from getting dry or catching on things to cause a break. Relaxed hair will need more oil treatment, so remember to give yourself and your hair a bit of a pamper to keep everything in good condition.
Get Regular Trims
Say goodbye to dry or split ends and get your hair or wigs trimmed regularly to keep it looking glossy and healthy. Don’t bother with split end serums, as this is only a temporary fix. There’s no real cure for split ends except a good trim.
Ann-Marie x
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