HOW TO CARE FOR BLACK NATURAL HAIR

Black women have a distinct hair type which is appreciated around the world. Black natural hair could turn out dry and frangible if not taken care of adequately, using wrong products and technique can also contribute to hair damage. Here are some tips necessary for having a radiant black natural hair.

CLEANING

I  feel everyone should know this and it's importance. It is necessary to wash your hair once to twice weekly but I wash mine once weekly because I have a busy schedule, I also don't want to always have my hair dry and breaking, so I have my "wash day" scheduled for Thursdays and my timing is never negotiable. Being constant with my schedule has really contributed to leaving my hair beautifully fresh always. 

PROCEDURE

• First I rinse my hair thoroughly under running lukewarm water so as to let the products on my hair slightly go off.
• Add your desired quantity of shampoo and wash your hair concentrating on the scalp. Rinse the shampoo off, then shampoo again to get the best result. After shampooing the second time make sure you rinse properly.
• Add conditioner and wait for at least 10 minutes.
• Detangle hair with conditioner on, then rinse off till clean.
• Never use towels to dry your wet hair and this is because your hair at this stage is tender and fragile and rubbing a dry tough towel against it will practically rip your hair off. You can use a light old shirt as a substitute. 

FIND A STABLE PRODUCT

It is necessary to find products that suit your hair composition but most importantly, you have to stick to that product. Being a “Product Prostitute" i.e. jumping from one product to another is capable of causing damages to your hair.

MOISTURISE

This part is highly essential, I never miss this routine, every morning before detangling my hair, I moisturize with water and oil. I already have a mixture of 1 cup of water and 2 cups of Extra Virgin Olive oil filled in a bottle. Every morning after brushing my teeth I give five to seven sprays of this mixture to my hair, thanks to the pump cover of the bottle which makes it easier to dispense. You can use whatever hair moisturizer you own, as long as it works for you.

DETANGLING

For the longest, detangling my hair daily was the way forward for me but based on my experience I will advise you detangle when necessary. During the detangling process, the hair cannot do but shed, detangling every day is equal working your hair seven times in a week, which means your hair will shed during all this process thereby, messing with your hair length. The essence of detangling is to avoid knot from forming within the hair, you can always going with your fingers daily to get those knots out but detangling with a comb should be based on necessity.

PROTECTIVE STYLING 

Protective Styles are hairstyles that give your hair a break from constant manipulation, it also helps in hiding the ends of the hair from agents capable of destroying them. For more information on protective styling click here

AVOID HEAT

Avoid heat to the barest minimum so your hair doesn't suffer any kind of heat damage, if you have to, make sure you use products designed to protect your hair from burns.

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