Suddenly everyone is rocking the natural hair look and it almost looks like a new generation of ‘’Naturalistas’’ have been born. You go to an event and there she is, standing tall in a room full of various fancy hairstyles, but somehow your eyes are still fixed on her hair bun and how effortless it looks amidst so large a crowd. Indeed, naturalists have invaded society and there is no turning back! Although, there is no doubt that it comes with a whole lot of challenges, especially if your hair is stubborn by default and has a way of tangling with or without your effort. How challenging is that? So, as a recruit or old member of the ‘’natural hair gang’’, here are a few things you should note about your hair.
ALWAYS COMB FROM THE TIP OF YOUR HAIR
It’s a struggle when you try to keep natural hair but your hair refuses to cooperate. Our African hair is thick by default and only a few are lucky enough to comb their natural hair without squeezing their faces and showcasing veins on the forehead—which is why many only massage the ends of their hair with the comb and forget that the root is even more important. In order to successfully detangle all the ends, you must comb your hair from the root to the top. This helps in ensuring a smooth sail and decreasing the number of tuffs you pluck out when trying to comb your hair.
ALWAYS USE A WIDE-TOOTH COMB
When dealing with natural hair, especially 4C, you must realize that it is prone to tangling. As a result of this, ensure that you always comb with a wide-tooth comb. A wide-tooth comb helps to decrease the tuffs of hair that can be removed as a result of consistently combing your natural hair. The edges of a wide-tooth comb are carved in such a way that it makes room for more hair strands, without having your hair fall off. So, as naturalistas, ensure that you employ the use of a wide-tooth comb in your quest to maintain healthy natural hair.
MOISTURISING IS KEY
Since it’s not the regular type of hair that has been exposed to chemicals in order to soften its texture, your natural hair needs a different type of moisturizing in order to leave it shiny and healthy. There are simple treatments to achieve this but the natural works better. You must have heard about coconut oil, shea butter, almond oil, and castor oil. . . all these go a long way in ensuring that your hair stays easy to deal with, which in turn increases the length and keeps it healthy.
AVOID TIGHT HAIRSTYLES
One of the reasons why natural hair suffers is because of how much stress it undergoes in hair styling. When you put your natural hair under too much pressure, you are unconsciously exposing it to more harm and less growth. In the quest to style your hair and look beautiful, try to consider the state of your natural hair before anything else. Asides from this, consistently putting your natural hair under tight conditions can increase the chances of hair loss, which in turn hinders or stunts hair growth.
DO NOT EXPOSE TO COLD WEATHER
You might be wondering why your hair grows or looks healthy at some point in time and shrinks at other periods. Well, this could be because you are consistently exposing your natural hair to the harsh conditions of the weather. As long as you have decided to keep your hair away from chemical substances, you must also realize that the weather has a great deal of effect on your hair. So, when it’s time to wear a bun, do it; but when it’s time to braid and tuck it in, do not afford to miss out also. You would be saving your hair from a lot of shrinkages
EAT HEALTHY
Whatever you put into your body has a way of reflecting on the outside. This includes the process of enriching your internal organs as well as your external organs. For your natural hair to be healthy, you should also be able to eat healthy meals. There are certain meals that help in the production of “keratin”, which helps in the development of your natural hair. Foods such as potatoes, garlic, kale, mangoes, salmon, and eggs are essential for your hair. This is because they are responsible for the production of “keratin”, in the body, and this, in turn, helps in ensuring your hair and nails are healthy. So, try to incorporate these meals into your daily food routine and see the magic.
ENSURE YOU WASH WITH A GOOD CONDITIONER
It is not necessary to wash your natural hair all the time as this could lead to its damage, but when you have to wash it; ensure you do that with a good conditioner. This is because the job of a good conditioner is to avoid dryness of the hair and the usual breakage that comes with keeping natural hair.
Growing your Natural hair can be a lot difficult to maintain, but with constant effort and due consideration on your part, it can thrive in all conditions. All you need is a willingness to develop your natural hair and in due time, you will eventually see a lot of progress while being on the safer side through your natural hair journey.
ALWAYS COMB FROM THE TIP OF YOUR HAIR
It’s a struggle when you try to keep natural hair but your hair refuses to cooperate. Our African hair is thick by default and only a few are lucky enough to comb their natural hair without squeezing their faces and showcasing veins on the forehead—which is why many only massage the ends of their hair with the comb and forget that the root is even more important. In order to successfully detangle all the ends, you must comb your hair from the root to the top. This helps in ensuring a smooth sail and decreasing the number of tuffs you pluck out when trying to comb your hair.
ALWAYS USE A WIDE-TOOTH COMB
When dealing with natural hair, especially 4C, you must realize that it is prone to tangling. As a result of this, ensure that you always comb with a wide-tooth comb. A wide-tooth comb helps to decrease the tuffs of hair that can be removed as a result of consistently combing your natural hair. The edges of a wide-tooth comb are carved in such a way that it makes room for more hair strands, without having your hair fall off. So, as naturalistas, ensure that you employ the use of a wide-tooth comb in your quest to maintain healthy natural hair.
MOISTURISING IS KEY
Since it’s not the regular type of hair that has been exposed to chemicals in order to soften its texture, your natural hair needs a different type of moisturizing in order to leave it shiny and healthy. There are simple treatments to achieve this but the natural works better. You must have heard about coconut oil, shea butter, almond oil, and castor oil. . . all these go a long way in ensuring that your hair stays easy to deal with, which in turn increases the length and keeps it healthy.
AVOID TIGHT HAIRSTYLES
One of the reasons why natural hair suffers is because of how much stress it undergoes in hair styling. When you put your natural hair under too much pressure, you are unconsciously exposing it to more harm and less growth. In the quest to style your hair and look beautiful, try to consider the state of your natural hair before anything else. Asides from this, consistently putting your natural hair under tight conditions can increase the chances of hair loss, which in turn hinders or stunts hair growth.
DO NOT EXPOSE TO COLD WEATHER
You might be wondering why your hair grows or looks healthy at some point in time and shrinks at other periods. Well, this could be because you are consistently exposing your natural hair to the harsh conditions of the weather. As long as you have decided to keep your hair away from chemical substances, you must also realize that the weather has a great deal of effect on your hair. So, when it’s time to wear a bun, do it; but when it’s time to braid and tuck it in, do not afford to miss out also. You would be saving your hair from a lot of shrinkages
EAT HEALTHY
Whatever you put into your body has a way of reflecting on the outside. This includes the process of enriching your internal organs as well as your external organs. For your natural hair to be healthy, you should also be able to eat healthy meals. There are certain meals that help in the production of “keratin”, which helps in the development of your natural hair. Foods such as potatoes, garlic, kale, mangoes, salmon, and eggs are essential for your hair. This is because they are responsible for the production of “keratin”, in the body, and this, in turn, helps in ensuring your hair and nails are healthy. So, try to incorporate these meals into your daily food routine and see the magic.
ENSURE YOU WASH WITH A GOOD CONDITIONER
It is not necessary to wash your natural hair all the time as this could lead to its damage, but when you have to wash it; ensure you do that with a good conditioner. This is because the job of a good conditioner is to avoid dryness of the hair and the usual breakage that comes with keeping natural hair.
Growing your Natural hair can be a lot difficult to maintain, but with constant effort and due consideration on your part, it can thrive in all conditions. All you need is a willingness to develop your natural hair and in due time, you will eventually see a lot of progress while being on the safer side through your natural hair journey.
