Good hair care is finding a care regime and products that works for your hair. We all have different hair types, textures and needs. What works for you may not work for me. However, the basic is we need to pre-poo, shampoo and condition, use good oils and moisturizer, and a treatment once a month.

Acceptance

The first thing to do on your natural hair journey is to accept your hair type and texture. Every natural hair is different, it is quite common to see 2 types of hair texture on a person’s head. The main thing is acceptance, to accept that the hair at the back of your head is curlier than the front. To accept that my hair is very kinky, the shrinkage is 80%, it is forever dry, highly porous, can’t do twist out like my friend’s hair, always breaking and I can’t seem to grow it past a certain length. To accept that the kinky hair cannot go wavy, no matter how much moisture you infuse into your hair! To accept that my hair cannot look as perfect as the person on YouTube, because we don’t have the same DNA! I challenge you to look in the mirror and say, “I love my dry, frizzy, kinky, short hair”.

Oils

The next thing is to find the right oils for you. There are a lot of oils out there which encourage hair growth and condition and moisturize the hair. And oils that seal in moisture; find one which is good for you. One of the ways I do that is to use the oils on the back of my hand and see what is does to my skin, if it absorbs quickly into my skin and it doesn’t leave a heavy oily look, I tend to favour that oil, because I want my hair to absorb the oil and not leave a heavy sheen. Again, choices should be based on what your hair needs, your moisturizing oil should be able to penetrate your hair shaft and oil your scalp and it is best used with water. The oils are usually olive, coconut and avocado oils. Sealing oils are oils that don’t penetrate the hair shaft. The sealing oil sits on the hair to add shine and lustre. These are jojoba and grapeseed oils.

Pre-poo, Shampoo and Condition

A good pre-poo is good for the hair because you would like to infuse moisture and condition the hair before you cleanse it. This should be done every time you wash your hair. Some tend to wash their hair every week or once every 2weeks, I say wash when your hair feels dirty or when you have too many products in your hair. Use moisturising oils and the conditioner you favour to make your pre-poo.  Pre-pooing helps with detangling (reducing breakage) before shampooing, also softens the dirt and product residue, making it easier to wash away. And most of all, it eliminates that squeaky-clean feeling by preventing the shampoo from stripping the hair of all moisture. Again, try various shampoos and conditioners until you find the one that works for you. Because I have a very dry scalp, I tend to use almond and coconut oil with my masking conditioner as my pre-poo and jojoba oil to seal in everything. I then cover my hair with a shower cap and wrap with cling film to try to make it drip tight for an hour before shampoo. I then tend to favour cleansing shampoos and masking conditioners, to remove the excess products and put moisture back into the hair that already has moisture (love moisture).

Treatment

Once a month, pamper your hair. Take the day and do a protein treatment or hot oils. Let it be as your hair dictates. There are so many treatments; coconut milk can be used to strengthen and condition the hair, avocado and olive oil for deep conditioning and to seal moisture into the hair, egg treatment–excellent source of protein to help strength the hair and to prevent breakage, honey to boost shine and soften coarse hair, and apple cider vinegar to cleanse the scalp and to make the hair shiny.

Balanced Diet and Vitamins

Taking care of the hair is great but what we feed ourselves also matters. We need a balanced diet with essential vitamins and protein to help our hair grow. Most people grow about 6 inches of hair per year, an average of ½ an inch a month. Slow hair growth can be caused by vitamin deficiency and can grow fast if we got enough vitamins and amino acids. Some vitamins needed for healthy hair growth is biotin, vitamin B, niacin, iron, zinc and folic acid. These can all be got from fish (protein and omega 3 fats), legumes – beans and peas (iron and zinc), vegetables – dark green ones – broccoli (iron and vitamins) and eggs (biotin and vitamin B12). Always remember to drink loads of water.

Written by Victoria Babatope

Ritoria.com

Distributors & Marketers of Henna Si Hair Care Products