While everyone’s hair and hair journeys are different, there is a commonality in many of the experiences we have in wearing our hair naturally. Though there are ups and downs, the end result is always worth it. Nonetheless, there are a variety of natural hair care tips and hacks that can make the journey easier.
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1) Natural hair care tips for twist-outs:
When doing twist-outs, take two of your completed twists and twist them together throughout your hair. By doing so will create more definition and springier curls once you take them down. Just make sure your hair is thoroughly detangled beforehand.
2) Natural hair hacks for less shrinkage:
After you have applied your styling products, place your hair in a puff / pineapple while drying. Once your hair is close to being fully dry, take your hair out of the puff and fluff and style as desired. This will create more volume and less shrinkage.
3) Trimming your hair:
If you are hesitant about giving yourself a trim, try occasionally doing a dusting of the ends. Another method is to put your hair in twists and trim your ends that way there is less room for error.
4) When wearing long-term protective styles:
To keep your strands hydrated and limit the chances of excessive breakage when wearing long-term protective styles, use braid sprays to provide moisture to your hair without causing too much frizz.
5) Keeping your edges strong:
One way to keep your edges strong and prevent them from breaking off is to leave them out with some of your styles. For example, if you like to wear your hair in puffs, try braiding or twisting the front part of your hair and edges to lessen the tension of them being pulled back.
6) White residue from a product:
This natural hair hack works like a charm. If you ever try a product that leaves white residue on your hair but are running too low on time to re-style it, use a cotton t-shirt to blot out the residue. It will soak the residue right up. However, this trick may cause some frizz, but it is better than leaving visible product in your hair all day.
7) Style on soaking wet hair:
You may find better results with your wash and go’s and other styles when done on soaking wet hair. Sometimes, our styling products may not be providing the best results because it is not being fully absorbed. Soaking wet hair will allow the product to be absorbed more thoroughly. Additionally, this can help to limit frizz with a more thorough coverage of product to smooth the hair strands.
8) Natural hair care tips for growth:
Do nightly scalp massages for a steady promotion of growth by stimulating blood flow to the hair follicles. Use a stimulating oil for even more benefit.
9) Most oils do not moisturize:
Many people often get the misconception that oils are moisturizers. Most oils do not provide moisture for the hair. Instead, a lot of oils serve as sealants that help to lock in and retain moisture. There are a select few oils (e.g. avocado oil, coconut oil) that are able to effectively penetrate the hair shaft with the aid of water, and provide moisturizing benefits.
10) Natural hair care tips to reduce tangles:
Another way to reduce tangles is to wash your in sections or chunky twists. Washing your hair in sections will help to get a thorough cleanse but shorten the detangling process since your hair is already parted. Leaving your hair in twists will help your strands from being intertwined with each other as much when washing.
11) Check your water temperature:
A factor that can be affecting the way your styles or wash and go’s turn out is the water temperature that you are washing your hair with. Water that is too hot can cause the hair cuticle to expand, creating the appearance of frizzy hair and can additionally dry out the hair.
12) Your diet plays a role:
Hair growth and hair health can be affected by what we are consuming in our diet. Our hair strands are made of a protein called keratin. If we are not getting enough protein in our diet this can in turn cause weaker hair strands. You also want to make sure you are getting enough water to keep your body and your hair strands hydrated.
One way to prevent unnecessary breakage and stunted length retention, is to keep your hair off your shoulders when possible. The reason being is because the ends of our hair are the oldest parts and prone to breakage. The constant rubbing against our shoulders / clothing can cause breakage. So, another natural hair care tip is to tie your hair up or put your satin scarf on when just lounging around.
14) Be wary of edge controls:
While many of us may love the look of laid edges, be wary of the over-use of edge controls. Daily and constant manipulation on the fragile hairs at the perimeter can lead to breakage. Plus, many edge controls may contain drying ingredients due to the strong hold, which can have the same drying effect on your edges.
15) Let your hair be:
Sometimes just leaving our hair alone produces the best results. This can mean leaving your hair in a protective style for a period of time. It can also be as simple as avoiding the “hair in hand syndrome”. Manipulating your strands too often and too harshly causes unnecessary breakage. Let your hair be and provide it with the proper nourishment and it will flourish.
What are some of your own natural hair care tips and hacks?
