The natural hair trend is becoming popular as more and more women are flaunting their Afro kinky hair! Being natural is letting go of straightening hair chemicals such as perms and relaxers.
Although the resolution to go natural may be difficult for a lot of women as African natural hair is often seen as pain in the ass and difficult to maintain , which is the reason most ladies relax their hair anyway.
Natural hairstyles can look absolutely amazing with twists, knots or big curly up-do. However most women do not understand how to rock their natural hair effortlessly; the hair keeps breaking or having split ends no matter what they do. Change is not plain sailing and embracing your natural hair may be a battle initially, but it becomes effortless with time. You have to understand what your natural hair needs in order to be able to rock it and enjoy it. BEBE AFRIKANA presents to you some of the tips you need to rock your natural hair effortlessly.
READ ALSO WHAT CHEMICAL RELAXER DO TO YOUR HAIR
GET TO KNOW YOUR HAIR
The first action to take in your natural hair journey is getting to know your hair and understand everything about it, that is, identify your hair type, determine your hair porosity and protein moisture balance. Also, you need to keep track of your hair texture after using a particular product, take note of what is working and what isn’t. Do not hesitate to change a product if it’s not suitable for your hair type. Nourish your hair by providing it with the right products for growth and good condition. However you also have to be patient, don’t fuss about it when you don’t see an immediately result.
PRE-POO TREATMENT
A “pre-poo” is usually an oil treatment applied to hair before shampooing or conditioning, and the treatment does give extra moisture when applied. Regular pressure on hair such as heat, humidity, wind, salt water, etc, can make hair to be extra dry, adding a pre-poo treatment helps to restore lost moisture. Also, pre-poo treatments help restore those oils and protect hair follicles.
When using a pre-poo treatment, you can take care of detangling hair a lot easier than after it’s washed. Breakage occurs much more often with wet hair, than dry. Therefore, applying the pre-poo treatment and leaving it to sink in to your hair for 15-30 minutes, will help detangle locks and reduces breakage. You can use any natural oil that is suitable for your hair. It helps get your hair into the perfect state necessary for washing and conditioning.
USE THE RIGHT SHAMPOO
Shampooing for natural hair is should be preferably done with a shampoo that is made of protein or saponified oils. A protein based shampoo will help protect the hair while washing. You want to prevent the situation whereby your hair is strip off of all the oils needed for healthy growth and length. Shampooing can make your hair dry and weak. It should be followed by deep conditioning to help it stay healthy.
DEEP CONDITION HAIR REGULARLY
This is to make sure that your hair is receiving the required protein necessary for growth and healthy condition. Natural hair have tendency of being curly so product might not penetrate the strand of the hair deeply. Deep conditioning makes sure your hair gets all the protein and moisture that is required. There is protein conditioning and moisture conditioning. Both are necessary for getting a healthy and luscious lock. Protein conditioning should be done every 4-6 weeks while moisture conditioning should be done every 1-2 weeks.
MASSAGE SCALP WEEKLY
Also, if you want to nurture your hair and improve its growth, then you have to embrace scalp massages. Scalp massages are helpful for stimulating blood flow to your scalp which assists hair growth. Massage your scalp/hair once a week to get back all the moisture needed and prevent it from drying out irrespective of the weather. However, during dry season/weather, massage your scalp/hair twice a week.
You can massage with different natural oils you have at your disposal such as the likes of coconut oil, olive oil ,almond oil etc; warm the oil and leave to cool to room temperature.
LOCKING IN MOISTURE
This could be done with any natural oil like castor oil, jojoba oil, almond oil or even coconut oil. You can also use a butter-based product like Shea butter. This protects your hair shaft from drying out with the weather or environment. It gives a long-lasting moisture to the hair, lock in moisture completely and assists in achieving a healthy growth and length maintenance.
GET CREATIVVE
The best part of rocking your natural hair is the freedom that comes along with it. Get creative with your hairstyles; embrace your hair’s flexibility by experimenting with various styles that might be suitable for your facial structure. This is a good time to sharpen your skills and embrace kink, curl, and coil on your head.
Cultivating healthy natural hair is a lifestyle; you need to be prepared and pleased to embrace the natural hair lifestyle for excellent results!