Healthy hair allows for steady growth, better moisture retention, easier manageability, and more. Regardless of what your “natural hair goals” are, healthy strands should be at the foundation.
Here is how to get natural hair healthy with 6 essential tips:
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1) GET RID OF PREVIOUS HAIR DAMAGE
To attain healthy natural hair, getting rid of any previous hair damage will grant a fresh start. Heat damage, relaxers, etc. can cause irreversible damage to the structure of the hair shaft. There are ways and products that can help to relieve damaged areas. However, depending on the severity, most damaged strands cannot be repaired completely and will eventually need to be trimmed.
This doesn’t mean you have to big chop necessarily. Transitioning by gradually strengthening and periodically trimming your damaged hair pieces can help to return your strands back to good health.
Click here to see a more thorough look at how to transition from heat damage without the big chop:
2) COME UP WITH A ROUTINE REGIMEN
Coming up with a routine hair care regimen will make it easier to get into the habit of caring for your natural hair in different aspects – moisturizing, detangling, etc. For example, incorporating weekly deep conditioning into your regimen will help to restore hydration and softness back into your strands after weekly wear and tear.
A moisturizing nighttime hair care routine to prepare your hair for next day styling can help too. In summary, a routine regimen will help to encourage good hair care habits and thus lead to healthier strands.
3) MOISTURIZE YOUR NATURAL HAIR REGULARLY
Moisturizing your natural hair regularly if not daily is essential in maintaining healthy hair. Hydrated strands support hair growth, softness, overall improved manageability, plus more. An easy way to apply and retain moisture in your natural hair is with the L.C.O. or L.O.C. methods. These methods involve applying a liquid, oil, and cream in the order of your preference.
To add to this, those with thicker/dense hair textures may find more benefit with heavier moisture sealants in the form of butters, creams, and thicker oils. For thinner/fine hair textures, lightweight oils and easy slip leave-ins may provide more use and not weigh down your hair. Hair porosity also plays a role in how well your natural hair is able to absorb and retain moisture.
Click here to read more about your natural hair’s porosity:
4) PROTECTIVE STYLE ON OCCASION
Kinky, curly, and coily hair textures have a natural proneness to dryness. This can sometimes lead to breakage as the spiral strands additionally intertwine with each other. Protective styles can help to lessen unnecessary breakage and retain length.
When done properly and not too tightly, protective styling on occasion can help to maintain healthy natural hair by preventing further damage (e.g. heat use) and lessen manipulation. It also helps to massage your scalp with an oil while wearing protective styles to further stimulate growth and maintain good scalp health with long-term protective styles.
5) TAKE CARE OF YOUR SCALP AND ENDS
We may sometimes neglect the ends of our hair and surprisingly even the scalp. When applying your moisturizing hair products, make sure you are applying a decent concentration to the ends of your hair. The ends of our hair are the last to receive the natural oils produced at the roots and are prone to dryness and breakage. They are also at the position right at our shoulders, causing friction against our clothing. To remedy this, apply a sealing oil to your ends and try to keep them tucked away when just lounging around.
Good scalp health is a necessity in attaining healthy natural hair. Hair growth starts at the roots, so it is important that you are providing it with the proper nourishment. Some ways to promote good scalp health are to do routine scalp massages with or without an oil to stimulate blood flow circulation at the roots. It is also in good practice to make sure your scalp is regularly cleansed. Too much product build-up can begin to clog your hair follicles and certain scalp conditions can develop.
6) MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET TOO
Taking care of our natural hair externally can only go so far if we are not getting the proper nourishment on the inside. There are multiple essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for healthy hair and growth.
Our hair is made of protein, so if we are not getting enough protein in our diet this can begin to affect the strength of our strands. Maintaining an adequate water intake is just as important. If we are dehydrated, our strands can then too become affected in areas ranging from growth to retaining moisture.
What do you do to keep your natural hair healthy? Let us know below!
