To steer you in the right direction, here are some basic natural hair tips.
Do:
- Research ingredients found in your products
- Avoid potentially drying, damaging, irritating or pore clogging ingredients such as mineral oil, lanolin oil, propylene glycol, PEG (polyethylene glycol) sodium lauryl sulfate & sodium laureth sulfate, alcohol (isopropyl alcohol), petroleum, chlorine, FD&C coloring, DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (momoethnanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine), fragrance, Imidazolidinyl urea and DMDM hydantoin
- Use a wide-toothed comb
- Use a shower filter if you have hard water
- Wear a silk or satin scarf/bonnet to bed or sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase
- Prevent your ends from rubbing on harsh fabrics like sweaters and thick cottony garments
- Keep a hair journal noting what works for you and what does not and how your hair is doing
- Drink lots of water
- Use a heat protectant before heat styling
- Deep condition once a week, after a severely drying or stripping process, coloring or when you feel you need it
- Regularly clean your hairstyling tools
- Moisturize daily, sealing in moisture after wards with oil (extra virgin olive oil is one option)
- Wash, de-tangle, apply product and style in sections
- Massage your scalp alone or with a natural oil nightly or as often as you like
- Take pictures to document your growth and health progress
- Love your hair and it will reward you
Don’ts:
- Be impatient with your hair
- Take your stress and frustrations out on your hair, be gentle
- Excessively use heat styling tools such as curling irons, flat irons and blow dryers
- Wear ponytails in the same spot daily
- Use elastic bands or ponytail holders with metal pieces, as they can rip out your hair
- Be afraid of failure, it’s a part of life and a part haircare
- Be afraid to speak up when a stylist or other person is trying to do something to your hair that you know to be damaging
- Use a clarifying shampoo like a normal shampoo, it is for removing buildup of products or deposits from water or after swimming, not regular cleansing
- Overuse any chemical such as hair dye
- Neglect your hair or get lazy with your regimen
- Obsess over your hair type or texture, work with what you have
- Manipulate your hair excessively, give it a break and try styles that will last a few days to a week
- Apply undue stress to your hair, especially while it’s wet
- Assume that an expensive product must be great or an inexpensive one will not work
- Jump on every bandwagon that you see
- Wear styles that are too tight and cause stress at the hairline (braids, twists etc..)
- Get discouraged, It takes time and practice to become a “master of mane”, no one is born an expert
- Go bankrupt because of overspending on hair products
- Let anyone become a roadblock on your healthy hair journey
Take control of your health as far as your hair and otherwise. No one can can take better care of you than you. Apply these natural hair tips and see the benefits for yourself.