When it comes to natural hair tips, it’s reasonably easy to spot the common ones such as: 1) Follow the LOC method2) Trim hair 3-4 months3) Keep your hair in protective styles Including the three tips above the list goes on. These are great tips; however, I want to expand beyond the norm and mention a few untraditional or not as common natural hair tips and tricks to add to your routine. If you have seen any of these tips before then great, please continue to use that tip. However, if you haven’t seen any of these later try them out and see what you think.
Contents
- 1 Heat your conditioner:
- 2 Don’t Moisturize on Dry Hair:
- 2.1 Use a Leave-In Every day:
- 2.2 Refrigerate your leave-in conditioner:
- 2.3 Pre-poo with olive oil
- 2.4 Protein treatment before straightening your hair:
- 2.5 Mix your cream and gel: Wait, really?
- 2.6 Hair Webbing: dehydration and split end:
- 2.7 Know when breakage usually happens:
- 2.8 Leave your hair alone for the week:
Heat your conditioner:
Usually most deep conditioners direct you to apply the cream in your hair first then add a heat source or keep it in your hair for a certain length of time, However, try heating the conditioner first. Heat the conditioner using 15-second intervals to warm it up. Apply it to your hair and keep it in for at least 30 minutes. Your hair should be noticeably softer afterward.
Don’t Moisturize on Dry Hair:
Moisturizing on dry hair will not seal in the moisture. It is preferable to moisturize on damp or wet hair for a more effective moisturizing treatment. It is a great idea to keep a spray bottle on hand to add water to your hair as needed. What works best for my hair is a water and aloe vera mix. But please feel free to mix water with your favorite water-based leave in too.
Use a Leave-In Every day:
Step 3 expands on step 2. Using a leave-in spray every day can give your hair instant moisture. My favorite, which I spoke about in the previous post, is the Oyin Handmade Juices and Berries spray. Adding a simple spritz leave into your hair will help with avoiding your hair from drying out. An actual leave-in conditioner will be able to hydrate your strands longer than just water alone.
Refrigerate your leave-in conditioner:
I have come across several tips with using cold water on natural hair. The cold water helps to seal the cuticle of the hair shaft. Refrigerating your leave-in conditioner will help with sealing your hairs cuticle and giving your hair that added shine.
Pre-poo with olive oil
You may have already heard of pre-pooing, which is an additional oil rinse to help detangle the hair more manageable. However, on wash day, to be specific shampoo day, you want to apply olive oil and hot/warm water to dry hair and cover with a plastic cap for an hour before washing. This will allow your hair to have more slip while trying to detangle before shampooing.
Protein treatment before straightening your hair:
For those natural ladies who like to straighten their hair, this is a fantastic tip to keep in mind. Before straightening your hair or using any heat tools do a protein treatment first after your wash session. High heat can denature your hair causing heat damage, and a proper protein treatment can help prevent this. It is equally beneficial to use a protein conditioner after any heated styles. This will be another barrier to help save your curls from heat damage along with your heat protectant.
Mix your cream and gel: Wait, really?
These are two products we naturalistas never mix. Usually mixing gels and creams creates a film or white residue that sits on top of the hair. However, when you find two products that agree with each other, it can be a magical combination. I experiment by taking a few of my creams and mix it with my eco styler gel. I put a little bit on the back of my hand and mix them. If I mix them and it becomes apparent then I know it’s a right mix. If it looks white or clumpy, then it will likely leave a white film or residue in your hair. Usually, gels and creams within the same product line/brand will work well together. If you find the right curl cream and gel combo it should help the curls last in windy, hot, and humid weather conditions.
Hair Webbing: dehydration and split end:
Your hair will always tell you what it needs. It is important to pay attention to the signs. A good indication that your hair needs moisture is to take your fingers and spread them apart as if you are trying to finger detangle. If the hair is sticking together, this is a sign of improper hydration and possibly split ends. Get your leave-in spray, d.i.y leave in the mixture, or deep conditioner out and give your hair some TLC.
Know when breakage usually happens:
When you are aware of the times, your hair is prone to damage, it will make it easier to prevent and keep your hair healthy. Breakage usually happens while taking down a protective style, during detangling or while wearing your hair out loosely such as twist outs. Be extremely careful during those times. If you find yourself frustrated during styling or taking a style down, please take a break and resume later.
Leave your hair alone for the week:
There are tons of ways that you can add growth to your hair. One way that seems to work across the globe with natural hair is leaving it alone. Try styling your hair once a week and maintaining that style for 5-7 days without restyling. Have you seen a tip you haven’t seen before? Are there any tips that you think you would try? Let us know below.
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