How to Properly Moisturize Natural Hair

Directly from my FAVORITE natural hair blog!

“how do i properly moisturize (very coarse) natural hair? here’s a hint, h2o alone won’t cut it

by KURLY BELLA on APRIL 28, 2010 · 53 COMMENTS

in HAIR CARE Q&A, POPULAR QUESTIONS

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snap.crackle.pop.

lots of us have been there. i can speak for myself and say that i’ve climbed the dryness mountain and came back down with a few scars, BUT, i made it down and now i know how to take it on.

if i can be honest, one of the main reasons when i first went natural that almost had me relapse back to the lye was dry hair. boy oh boy. dry hair will make a sane woman a nut case! and especially a type 4.

who wants to have dry, matted up, little balls on the end of your hair, hair? i know i didn’t and don’t want it now.

round these parts, i like to give it to you straight, with no chaser. though i’m no expert, so please use your own common sense when heading my advice, i’ve experienced almost everything one can experience as a hair horror story so i know a little something, something.

how many of you have been there? just lost when it comes to how to moisturize your natural hair? it’s a doozey, i won’t lie, but once you conquer it, it makes being natural a whole different ball game. you go from being on the defense to now running offense.

if properly moisturizing your natural hair is alluding you, it does not have to. and yes, it does NOT matter how dry or coarse your hair may be. so, first let’s go over how to moisturize your natural hair.

the first thing to do is to forget about everything you have in your bathroom right now that claims to moisturize your hair. just put it out of your mind for a second and marinate with me as i take it back to basics.

remember how we learned in school when we were little kids how we really only needed two things to live? and remember how we learned that without those two things we’d die? and remember that those two things were food and wine? i’m sorry, i meant water. food and water. not food and lambrusco! my bad.

well, it’s still the same. without food and water, we are nothing and without water, our hair is nothing as well. nothing as in dry, brittle – snap.crackle.pop.bald.

so there is the key – water. water is what moisturizes hair and does it well. just like it moisturizes the inside of your body, it does the same thing for that dead protein growing out of your scalp. without water, out bodies become dehydrated, and without water, so does our hair.

why does water moisturize hair? water and water-based moisturizers penetrate the hair shaft, going deep into the hair cuticle – connecting to other water molecules. with that connecting comes a sort of hair strand “expansion.” this “expansion” helps to keep the hair plump and supple.

think of dry skin. when it’s in need of water it’s dry, flaky; ashy, anyone? but when it’s introduced to water it’s soft and plump; and when you seal in that water with your body lotion, your skin stays moisturized and you keep that soft skin feeling all day.

the same goes for water and your hair. after washing your hair or wetting it really well, it’s been loaded with moisture. yummi h2o. but if you do nothing to seal in that moisture, what happens is that all of the moisturizing water goes “poof!”. and with that poof comes matted roots, kinks, hard to comb hair and hair that “eats”- as we say – anything (all the bad stuff that you think is moisturizing your hair) you put on it. without water, your curl or kinky starts to curl or kink back down on itself – drawing up from the dryness.

let’s go again back to the basics. remember 5th grade science when we learned about condensation and evaporation?

i’m pretty sure you can now see where i’m going with this. the evaporation is a loss. the water has now gone back into the environment, and thus, your hair that was once well moisturized has gone back to being dry.

to counter this, the first step in moisturizing is to be diligent after you have just washed or wet your hair. while your hair is in it’s supreme moisturized state, you should SEAL in that moisture with a naturally occurring oil such as olive or coconut oil. these oils help by creating a barrier at the cuticle and preventing the water from evaporating off of your strands at an accelerated rate. keep in mind that these are not the only oils you can use, but some of the best ones that have not only been proven as great “sealing” oils or “sealants”, but also oils that have the ability to penetrate the cuticle shafts as well and can also moisturize hair. not all oils have the ability to penetrate the hair shaft – one example of this is grapeseed oil.

after wetting your hair – AND before adding any other styling products – the key is to seal in your moisture.

keep in mind that for some, sealing with oil may not be enough, and this is okay. many naturals, especially those with the coarsest strands find that while their hair is still wet (no need for soaking, towel-dried is fine), they need to add a water-based or creamy (not sticky) leave-in conditioner, and then seal with and oil for their hair to remain properly moisturized after it dries. and this is the case for me as well. if i don’t use a leave-in conditioner, my hair won’t be snap.crackle.pop dry, but it won’t be optimally moisturized as it would  be when i use a leave-in and then follow up with my olive oil to seal my hair. so what leave-ins do i like? i’ll get to that shortly.

how will you know to use a leave-in after washing and before sealing? when you use just water and then seal with oil, ask yourself, “does my hair still feel soft and moisturized after it is fully dry?” the answer to this question will tell you if what you are doing is working for your hair. it may take a couple of rounds of washing to do a comparison, but you’ll soon figure it out. another way to test is to just wash you hair and apply a leave-in to only ONE SIDE of your head and not the other. apply your sealing oil to both sides and then style as usual. by the end of the day, you may notice a difference. no difference probably means you can opt to no do a leave-in, but if the side without the leave in is dry and the other isn’t, then you know that you have to add a leave-in to your hair before sealing.

so lets’ get started with a simple hair moisturizing routine.

WASHING

if you wash your hair with shampoo, i’d really encourage you to start CO-WASHING for every other wash. this is simply washing your hair with conditioner. cowashing is effective because most conditioners do not contain harsh sulfates (sulfates cause shampoo to bubble up and strip off dirt and oils) which are often too dry and stripping for natural hair. co-washing is just as effective as washing with shampoo at getting your hair and scalp clean.

you can opt for a cheap moisturizing conditioner such as suave naturals, aussi moist, garnier fructis moisture works, or herbal essence hello hydration. i’ve used all of these (and still do) with success.

other mid ranged conditioners you can try are:

• aubrey organics honey suckle rose (O/N/G*) !!! buy here / or here

  

• aubrey organics white camillia (O/G*) !!! buy here
• giovanni smooth as silk (O/N/G/G*) !!! buy here / or here

  

• deva care one condition (S) buy here
• nature’s gate moisturizing conditioner buy here / or here

  

these are just a few of the conditioners from the 2010 naturals coveted list. to learn more and understand the key, see the rest of the list here which has tons of additional products to help you get started on your moisture journey.

LEAVE-INS

if you look at some of the best leave-in moisturizers that have naturals raving right now, you’ll find that the first ingredient listed on the back of the package will be water. it really is the supreme moisturizer.

after co-washing, add a good leave-in if you find that you need one – though i’ve found thatmost type 4s WILL need a good leave-in.

water-based

roux fermodyl 07 extra strength leave-in, pantene pro-V light spray conditioner, phyto phytomist instant hydrating conditioner, or the classic infusium 23 moisturologie; though sallys has a generic version that works just as well.

other excellent water based leave ins are:
blended beauty kick for curls aloe juice spritz
oyin greg juice or juices and berries
sta-sof-fro

creamy

*note: i cannot just co-wash and add a water-based leave in. i MUST also follow up with a creamy product to help seal, you may find that this is the case with your hair as well.

care free curl gold (my staple), aubrey organics white camilia conditioner (yes it is a conditioner but also works well as a creamy leave-in as it has the ability to “melt” into the hair), giovanni direct leave-in, karens body beautiful hair milk, kinky curly knot today (love this!), alba botanica leave-in (also doubles as a moisturizing hair lotion), taaliah waajid mist bodifier (don’t let the “mist” throw you off, it’s a thick, creamy, leave-in, spray) and nature’s gate aloe vera conditioner.

SEALING

once you have co-washed and added in your leave-in or leave-inS, you should now top that all off with a little oil if need be. keep in mind that grease does not moisturize and most oils do not as well, but they do SEAL in water. also note that some leave-ins do not work well with oils, so you may have to pay around with your combos; though most are light enough to not turn in the little “cheese curdle” balls from putting oil on top of your leave-in.

coconut or olive work excellent. some naturals don’t really care for coconut oil. i like it, but olive oil works much better on my hair, though i do suggest you try both to see which you like best. some naturals only use coconut oil when it’s mixed with something else, or like mixing olive and coconut oil together. you can play around to see what works best for your hair. just be sure to spread it through your hair well. because oils are not grease, the soak into your hair well and won’t leave it greasy feeling (if you don’t use too much).

FINISHING

that’s it! you’ll probably find that less product is more as you start to get your hair in an optimally moisturized state. because we are so used to plastering our hair and scalps with grease and thick, heavy products, it may seem like you need “more stuff.” but less is more. you’ve already got what you need the most – the water – everything else is icing on the cake. you should proceed to style your hair as usual. wash and go, etc. i normally don’t wear wash and gos because they cause too many knots and tangles – no matter how well i’ve detangled my hair, so i normally wash my hair at night — following this routine, twist it up for bed, take it down in the am, fluff and go.

if i need a little more moisture in the morning, i add some carefree curl gold to my strands and during the week, i can add oils and spritz my hair with water and seal again as needed.

as a basic “how do i moisturize my hair” starting block, this should help to get you to where you need to be. don’t worry, after doing this for a while, it will all start to come together and you will know what products do what for your hair when it comes to moisturizing. but always remember that WATER is key.

just stick with it. after a couple of weeks of being diligent with your hair moisture routine, you can’t help but see a difference.

lastly, i just want to add that if you are using the same products you used when you were relaxed or products targeted towards relaxed heads, 9 times out of 10 you are going to be disappointed. additionally, if you keep insisting on using products that you are not seeing results from, then, yes, you hair will CONTINUE TO BE DRY. you have to remember, most products on the market are no bueno when it comes to natural hair.

in the natural hair world, it’s not always about trends, but because our hair is so different and unique, it only makes sense to take head when other naturals with similar textures are talking about a product that they had success using.

put down the pink lotion and step away from the blue magic grease. try some newer, simpler ways of moisturizing your hair, and you will see results.

much success to you with your moisture regimen and if you need more help, just email me. i don’t bite!

if you are looking for more product recommendations, be sure to check out the 2010 naturals coveted list! a list of all the tried and true hair products that naturals can’t get enough of.”

Stay away from hot showers and stick to luke warm water if you have dry skin. Hot water steals the moisture from your skin.

Cheap, Easy, and Effective Skin Care Tips!

Here are some super easy tips and tricks to get a clear, flawless complexion!

1. Drink tons of water!
Water is the key to life as we know it, so in order to maintain good health, remember to drink water all day long. Caffeine is dehydrating, so drinks like coffee, tea, and cola can be detrimental to your skin’s moisture levels. Even if you have oily skin and dryness is not a problem, your skin will only produce more oil at the signs of dryness, and can even cause acne and wrinkles!

2. Wash your face- without tap water!
We all know that you need to wash your face at least twice a day. However, many people use the water right out of your sink. This water is very harsh on your skin! The minerals and metal traces can really damage the top levels of your skin. My tip is to have a bottle of purified water on the sink, and use it to moisten a washcloth to wash your face. It sounds odd, but it can really help clear up both dryness and oiliness!

3. Watch your soy levels.
Soy is in lots of foods these days- in a concentrated form in tofu, to lecithin in processed foods. In small amounts, it contains just enough estrogen to boost the good oils in your skin to give your face a beautiful, dewy glow. However, in excess, estrogen-rich foods, like soy, can cause intense breakouts and oiliness. This isn’t to say that you need to cut out soy entirely! I eat tofu once or twice a week in reasonable portions, and haven’t seen a breakout in months :)

4. STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE! and always wash your hands!
Our hands always have tons of dirt, bacteria, and oils on them. Whenever we touch our face, all of these impurities transfer directly into our pores. So remember to keep your hands away from your face! But in order to lessen the damage, keep washing your hands with a moisturizing soap multiple times a day. I always make a point to wash my hands before I wash my face, too. Since it’s hard to control hormone-related breakouts, we might as well d our best to prevent dirt-related ones!

5. Exercise a little!
Not only is it good for your health and physique, but working up a little sweat can be great for your skin! Sweating opens your pores and releases lots of toxins. Be careful to not wipe your face with anything dirty or potentially bacteria-hoarding though, as this would just be counter-productive.

So run a couple miles, keep hydrated, lay off the tofu, and wash your hands and face, and watch your complexion improve! Thanks for reading:)