Let’s talk about hair
Everyone wishes for long, silky, shiny hair but when it comes to natural hair, I aim to have healthy, I admit that I never really cared about taking care of my hair since I was used to braiding my hair all year round and not thinking much about it. But after some time, my hair texture changed and it became thin, brittle, full of split ends and just looked a mess until I decided to start taking care of it the right way and what suits me.
When it comes to natural hair, don’t lie to yourself and think that just because another person has natural hair, that you both have the same and that you should follow the same regimen, because everyone’s hair type is different and accepts different products and maintenance. These are 10 natural hair tips for healthy hair that have helped me.
1. PRODUCTS
With natural hair, choosing products for your hair type is important and makes a big difference for your regimen, going for sulfate-free shampoos and good conditioners are the best option. I go for good thick conditioners that have lots of slip and coats the hair perfectly, it took me a while to find the right one just because some conditioners didn’t provide enough slip and made detangling difficult. Finding the right products for your hair type will save you a lot of time and minimize frustration.
2. NATURAL HAIR REGIMEN
Once you get your products down, you need to start having a regimen which you would follow every week to make your life easier, washing, treating, deep conditioning, moisturizing and even hot oil treatments. Having some kind of regimen that suits your schedule is the right way to go plus your hair will thank you.
3. MOISTURISING
When I say moisturize, water, for example, is a form of moisturizing one’s hair without making it greasy and choosing the correct hair oils is important. There are so many oils nowadays that getting the right one for your hair type will not be a problem, my favorites are coconut oil, castor oil, shea butter, and vitamin e oil and I also use aloe vera gel on my edges sometimes, but as I said this is usually by preference and for more beauty uses for coconut oil. Moisturize your hair three to four times a week depending on how much your hair needs, again this will totally be according to how your hair feels and if you think it needs more moisture.
4. HEAT DAMAGE
Natural hair loves to stay just as it is natural, and so when we decide to introduce it to blow dryers, flatirons and any form of heat styling, it can cause damage to the hair and make it be brittle, cause breakage and just not look healthy overall, this happened to me and I did end up having to chop my hair, I got so much heat damage from flat ironing on high heat that my hair lost its body and was no longer thick and full as it used to be.
There are different ways of stretching natural hair without really using heat, try threading or banding and also box braiding overnight just to give a bit of stretch without the heat damage.
5. TRIMMING
Yes, people, for your hair to continue growing and stay healthy, you do need to trim your hair once in a month or even after long, this depends on how well you have been taking care of your ends and that will show you what to add more of or reduce on. I trim my hair once I notice that my twist outs turn out frizzy and the ends look split, your hair will show you when it needs it just don’t prolong or forget to have trimming sessions for healthy hair.
6. DETANGLING
Before I got this step-down, my hair breakage was on another level and has so much hair in the sink and on my comb, started becoming really annoying. I came to realize that it was the way I used to detangle that was wrong, what worked for me was finding the right comb, be it a wide-tooth comb or a Denman brush and sectioning my hair, I never sectioned my hair before and would just pull the hell out of my hair, yes it hurt like crazy but that’s also because I was always in a hurry, so note do take your time while doing this.
7. STYLING
What I love about natural hair is the diversity of hairstyles I can come up with and how good they look, natural hair styling should be fun and when styling, make sure your ends are protected and that you take care of your edges by not over pulling or tightening while creating your style, Also twist outs and twists, flat twisting can also be a good way of protective styling, and not forgetting braiding, wigs and any other style that can protect your ends once in a while to give your hair a break from too much stretching during styling.
8. Go Natural as Often as You Can
Your hair needs a rest from everything it endures during the week. Recommending using the weekend to let your hair recuperate. If possible, let your hair air-dry, avoid heated styling products, and keep it out of a ponytail or tight headband to avoid any unnecessary pulling on the hair shaft. In other words, sometimes you just have to let your hair chill a little.
9. Maintain a Healthy Diet
This healthy hair habit might seem like it has nothing to do with your actual hair: a balanced diet. Protein is the building block of hair because hair is keratinized protein. Hair is considered a non-essential tissue, so the body doesn’t send protein to hair follicles first—it focuses on essential organs, like the heart or liver—but if you’re eating enough, the body will be able to distribute protein everywhere it’s needed. Another crucial nutrient is iron. It’s an energy source for the hair. It’s a mineral the hair needs. In fact, studies have shown iron deficiency has a link to female patterned hair loss.
But don’t worry if you’re a vegetarian—you can still work protein on your way.
10. SLEEPING
Going to sleep with natural hair is kind of an adventure if you decide not to cover it. I suggest either having a satin pillowcase or a satin hair bonnet or scarf to cover it and avoid the outcome of not being able to pass a comb through it in the morning. The satin does avoid breakage which can be caused by rubbing of the hair on cotton or different pillow cases during sleep and will help you to shorten your hair styling time in the morning depending on what you decide to do with it. Remember protect your hair with a satin bonnet or scarf when sleeping with natural hair.
11. Don’t Take Scalding Hot Showers
Yes, it feels amazing to take a hot shower after a long day (especially in the winter), but scalding hot water doesn’t do great things for your hair. In fact, it dries it out and, for color clients, washes out the hair color faster than cold water. While a cold shower might not sound ideal, recommends lukewarm instead—as a bonus, it’s also better for your skin.
12. DO YOUR RESEARCH
As much as I think that I know everything about my natural hair, I am still learning and willing to know more of what I can do to improve my hair and so, all I can tell you is to do your research and get to understand and learn more when it comes to your hair. There’s lots of information out there and you will be able to find all you need.
13. LOVE YOUR HAIR
This is my last tip, love your natural hair and embrace it, that’s what makes you, don’t try to deny it but don’t make it control you or define you, it’s your choice to cut or change it anyhow you want so don’t feel like you have to have it a certain way just because someone else said it. It’s yours and whatever you decide well on you, just do whatever makes you happy and remember it’s just hair, it does grow back you know.
Source from: https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/hair/hair-care/habits-of-people-with-healthy-hair
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