This blog post is going to be a bullet pointed list of Do’s and Dont’s for natural hair of all textures with some quick helpful info at the bottom. Hopefully this will help any of you who are natural but having a hair crisis, newly natural, transitioning to natural hair or who care for children with natural hair.

 

Natural Hair Do’s

• Moisturise your hair daily using water in a spray bottle followed by a creamy leave in conditioner and/or a natural oil such as 100% Virgin or Organic Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Jamaican Black Castor Oil etc (also research the L.O.C Method)

• Keep your hair and scalp clean and so enabling it to absorb moisture by washing it at least every other week. I wash mine once a week and professionals would recommend every 3-5 days but who has time for that?

• If you co-wash (wash using conditioner) alternate with a sulfate free shampoo, clay wash or apple cider vinegar rinse to properly cleanse the hair and avoid product build up.

• Deep Condition after every wash to replace oils that may have been stripped during the cleansing process. This will also help to moisturise and soften your hair.

• Do a protein treatment every 4-6 weeks to strengthen the hair and so prevent breakage.

• Always moisturise hair (apply water and/or leave in conditioner) BEFORE combing/brushing/styling to not only moisturise but also lubricate the hair strands making styling easier and preventing breakage.

• When fully detangling hair e.g on wash day, make sure that the hair is saturated in water and lubricating conditioner first to help the comb slip instead of drag through the hair.

• Try to use your fingers rather then a comb/brush when detangling or styling as if used incorrectly these tools will rip hair out and break it off. (Research finger detangling)

• If you do use a brush or a comb to detangle, use a wide tooth comb, denman brush or tangle teezer and start at the bottom of the hair strands gently working your way through any tangles up to the roots. Try not to pull on the hair as this shouldn’t be a hard or painful process, if it is apply more product for slip/lubrication and work in smaller sections.

• When detangling work in sections to make it easier, especially if you have thick hair. I divide my hair into 4 main sections and then within those sections I work in smaller sections.

• Give your hair a break from the stress of daily styling which can cause breakage by using braids, weave, wigs etc. Just make sure that these styles aren’t too tight and so pulling on your hair follicles as this can lead to baldness. (Research low/no manipulation styling)

• Sleep on a silk/satin pillowcase or wear a silk/satin scarf or bonnet to bed to protect your hair against the friction between it and the cotton sheets which will cause frizz, dryness and lead to breakage. Silk/satin pillowcases are ideal for children who won’t keep something on their head all night.

• Be gentle and have patience. The coarser and tighter curls/coils/kinks are the more fragile the hair is and so the more vulnerable to breakage it will be.

• Use the internet to your advantage and research natural hair care on Google and Youtube. You’ll be surprised at how many  websites/blogs like this one are around and how many natural hair bloggers of many different hair textures are on Youtube.

 

 

Natural Hair Don’ts

• Don’t detangle or style natural hair dry as this will cause friction between the hair strands leading to snags, breakage and just make the whole mission harder. Always moisturise first.

• Don’t use a lot of direct heat (hair dryers, straighteners). These dry the moisture out of the hair shaft (as water evaporates) leaving the hair vulnerable to breakage.

• Avoid sulfate shampoo’s as these will completely strip the hair leaving it feeling dry. Opt for sulfate free shampoo’s, co washing, clay washing or using apple cider vinegar. You can recognise sulphates in the ingredient list as the ingredient will end in ‘sulfate’ e.g “Sodium Laureth Sulfate”.

• Don’t fully style your hair everyday. For example for a child with pigtails don’t redo them everyday, just tidy their hair line and moisturise the plaits/twists without undoing them. I wear wash & go’s and once fully detangled and styled, the next morning I just spray my hair with a water/conditioner mix in my spray bottle and shake my head to awaken my curls. Excessive use of brushes and combs will cause breakage.

• Avoid playing with your hair and re-doing it throughout the day as this will put stress  on your hair and lead to breakage.

•  Don’t ‘grease’ or oil your scalp. Greases are made up of synthetic ingredients that will coat the hair shaft and clog follicles. The scalp naturally creates its own oil called sebum and so adding to the scalps natural oils can create an unbalance leading to problems such as dandruff. Focus on the health of your actual hair for length retention. As long as it’s clean the scalp will sort it self.

• Don’t use towels to dry your hair after washing it. The towel material will cause friction against your hair and lead to frizz, dryness, snags and so breakage. Instead use an old cotton t-shirt to soak up the excess water.

• Never ever comb through natural hair using a fine tooth comb, you’re asking for breakage. If you’re straightening your hair then gently work in small sections.

• Don’t use gels containing alcohol (e.g Pink) as these will dry your hair out and cause it to break off. Instead use gels that don’t contain alcohol such as Eco Styler or edge control.

• Admire but avoid obsessing over other people’s hair, especially if they have a different hair texture to you. You’ll probably get annoyed and end up damaging your hair trying to make it look a certain way. Instead embrace your own hair texture and be open to learn how to care for it correctly.

• Don’t be rough with natural hair. The coarser and tighter curls/coils/kinks are the more fragile the hair is and so the more vulnerable to breakage it will be.

 

The L.O.C Method for Moisturising: 

L– Apply a liquid such as water, pure aloe vera juice, rose water or a water based leave in conditioner to moisturise your hair

O– Apply a natural oil such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100% Virgin Coconut Oil etc to create a barrier over the moisture and seal it in as water and oils don’t mix.

C– Apply a cream such as Whipped Shea Butter (I like Cantu’s Coconut Curling Cream) to double seal everything in.

You can swap step O and step C around depending on what works best for you but Liquid is always applied first as water is a moisturiser and oils/butters are sealants.

 

Natural Hair Starter Kit

• Wide Tooth Comb.
• Denman Brush/Tangle Teezer
• Spray Bottle Filled With Water.
• Sulfate Free Shampoo
• Moisturising Deep Conditioner (not a protein treatment)
• Protein Treatment
• Cheapy Conditioner With Slip for Easy Detangling on Wash Day.
• Daily Leave In Conditioner
• A Cream e.g Whipped Shea Butter (I like Cantu Coconut Curling Cream)
• Natural Oils e.g Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic or 100% Virgin Coconut Oil, Castor Oil
• Silk/Satin Scarf, Bonnet or Pillowcase
• Research The L.O.C Method
• Research Finger Detangling
• Research Low Manipulation Styling
• Youtube

 

Brands to Check Out

• Cantu
• Aunt Jackies
• SheaMoisture
• Creme Of Nature
• Curls Unleashed
• Curly Kids Hair Care
• Kinky – Curly
• Mixed Chicks
• CURLS (@frizzfreecurls)
• Camille Rose Naturals
• Mielle Organics
• Eden Bodyworks
• As I Am
• Design Essentials
• Miss Jessies
• Carols Daughter

Most of these brands are free from rubbish cheap chemicals that many companies put in their products.

 

Websites That Sell Natural Hair Products You May Not Find in Beauty Queens/Maliks

• Shop British Curlies
• My Luxe Beauty
• Beauty By Zara

 

Follow @rootsundone on Instagram for daily inspiration and hair care tips