How to take care of your natural hair

Taking care of your natural hair can be an overwhelming task. Each process seems time-consuming and you may need assistance determining where to begin. Additionally, you can find a myriad of hair tricks online. You need to choose the best ones among them. Let’s find out some of the tips.

The wig industry has seen a huge growth in recent years. What once was a social stigma, has now become a common fashion accessory. While using wigs and hair extensions allows you to enjoy a variety of styles effortlessly, there is still one major issue that we cannot take for granted. It's the maintenance of natural hair. That brings us to the ultimate question—how to take care of your natural hair?

Maintaining a consistent routine is important regardless of what type of hair you have. Let's take a look at some of the most effective ways to take care of our natural hair recommended by some of the most prominent beauty experts in the industry.

Understanding the characteristics of your hair

Characteristics of human hair may vary from person to person. So you must determine the features of your natural hair before taking any action. Below, we've listed a few fundamental characteristics of natural hair for your reference.

• The scalp of hair produces a waxy, natural oil called sebum. It plays an important role to protect your skin from infection. However, having too much or too little sebum may cause skin problems or make your skin oily.
• Your hair can be damaged due to over-combing. It also causes hair tangling sometimes. Hair breakage might also result from tangling. So avoid over-combing and get healthy hair.
• If your hair is curved, kinky, and curly there is a high chance of shrinking as it dries.

Determining your hair needs

Understanding the characteristics of your hair will help you to determine your hair’s care and styling needs. Common issues with your hair would be dryness, breakage, and frizziness. If you can recognize what's missing from your hair, you can easily choose the right procedures to fill up those gaps.

Make your wash routine

After getting a better understanding of your natural hair, it's time to develop a wash day plan. You can divide your wash day plan into three categories: preparation, cleansing, and style. Let’s have a look:

• Preparation: This stage is all about preparing your hair before cleansing, whether you're pre-pooing, detangling, or beginning an oil treatment. Natural hair has lots of characteristics and volume, therefore it's important to maintain and optimize it with a proper plan. Since hair can be very dense, it is important to split it into parts while washing, detangling, and styling. Otherwise, the hair can become overpowering because of the volume.
• Cleansing: Now it is time to get in the shower and wash off dirt from your hair. Use a shampoo and conditioner before giving your hair a warm water rinse. You can apply a deep conditioner to make your hair moistened. However, when cleaning your hair, you should always keep the following factors in mind:
  • Avoid harsh shampoos: There are some shampoos that include sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, and ammonium lauryl sulfate. Avoid using these shampoos frequently if you want your hair to be healthy and natural. If your hair doesn't suit any shampoo, you can still clean it regularly with baking soda or oils.
  • Avoid over-washing hair: Your hair may lose moisture if you overwash it. You should try a dry shampoo that is sprayable and powder-based if your hair is oily. This kind of shampoo has the ability to remove extra oil without harming the hair follicle. Overusing the product, though, could harm your hair. Therefore, you should use it carefully and wisely.
• Styling: After thoroughly cleaning your hair, the fun part is defining your strands and keeping the hair moisturized. In this case, you can apply a conditioner, cream, oil, or gel. Let's look at some essential hair styling tips:
  • Apply some styling products: You can use products like gels and serums to make your hair more stylish. However, too much usage of these products can make your hair look greasy.
  • Use rollers to straighten your hair: Using rollers would help you to straighten your hair with less heat compared to a straightener and curling iron. Natural hair will respond better to magnetic rollers and satin-covered foam rollers than other types. You should stay away from Velcro or mesh rollers because they can tangle your hair and even break it.
  • Adopt protective styles: Protective hairstyles like braids, twists, and knots keep the hair in place, which reduces the amount of time needed for styling and relieves stress on the ends. Some protective hairstyles, like braids, can take hours to complete. Others, like buns and twists, are simple to prepare at home.
  • Moisturizing your hairstyle: You can moisturize your hairstyle by spritzing it regularly with a mixture of conditioner, water, and moisturizing oils like coconut or olive oil.

Trim Your Hair Regularly

Some people believe that people who trim their hair are doing this only for personal style or that their hairdresser instructed them to do so. But that's not really the case. The advantages of hair trimming should never be forgotten. When you trim your hair, you get rid of the sections that are more harmful than beneficial. Additionally, your hair will appear much thicker and healthier from root to tip if you trim it. Furthermore, if you want to get natural hair, you have to avoid frizz where possible. Frizz may develop if you tend to wear hats and wigs a lot. Frizz can eventually harm your hair strands because natural hair is so sensitive. Trimming on a regular basis might help to keep this under control.

If you adhere strictly to the above procedures, caring for natural hair will be a simple chore. Hope this article has been helpful for you in developing a routine that will help you grow healthy and shiny hair.