I have been natural for two years now and I must say, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. During these two years I have learned so much about my hair that it has made me love every kink and curl my hair has to offer. I have also learned in these two years, how stressful it can be caring for your natural hair. So, to hopefully help those who are having some difficultly, I have composed a list of tips on caring for your beautiful curls.
1. Detangling Tools
The best tool to use when detangling natural hair is, believe it or not, your fingers! It is the gentlest way to detangle your hair as you will be able to feel all the knots. Combs and brushes are good tools as well but, you cannot feel the knots which can lead to pulling out unnecessary strands of hair. I use a combination of the two. I start with my fingers to get as much loose hair out as I can. Next, I follow up with a Denman brush to remove the rest. If you prefer to use combs, make sure it is wide toothed so you don’t remove more hair than needed.
2. Retaining Moisture
Keeping your natural hair moisturized can be very tough! To combat this, I use the LOC method to seal in moisture. The “LOC” in LOC method stands for Liquid/Leave-In Conditioner, Oil, and Cream. When styling your hair, you put the products in, in that order. Some people even switch the Cream and Oil, which seems to work just as well. Another tip is during wash day, after you rinse out your conditioner, run cold water through your strands. This will close your cuticles, sealing in the moisture.
3. Trimming
Trimming your hair is extremely important. During my first year of being natural, I waited about six months from my big chop until I trimmed my ends. I ended up having a lot of split ends which caused me to cut about two inches off my hair. It was devastating as I worked really hard to grow out my hair. Now, I make sure to trim my ends every 3-4 months to avoid this. If you don’t feel comfortable trimming your ends, see a stylist who knows how to trim natural hair. You do not have to straighten you hair in order for it to be trimmed! This is important to know so you are not exposed to the risk of getting heat damage.
4. Wash Day
Wash day can literally take a majority of the day to complete depending on your regimen and how long your hair is. I easily spend at least 5 hours doing my hair on wash day between detangling, shampooing, two hour long deep conditionings, and styling. In order to make this process more enjoyable so you don’t end up hurting your hair. Make sure you block out your day so you can take your time with your hair. There will be no need to rush and you will be calmer when you run into those little knots! I also play music that makes me happy. It always seems to speed up the process!
5. Go-To Hairstyle
Natural hair is unpredictable. Your curls will do whatever they want, when they want. Because of this, it is important to have a go-to hairstyle when those curls are not cooperating! My go-to style is a simple bun or flat twists.
6. Protective Styling
Protective styling is the greatest thing when it comes to caring for your natural hair. I believe that protective styling really helped me grow my hair out, as my ends weren’t all over the place and it kept me from touching my hair, allowing it to grow. My favorite protective style is putting my hair in twists. I then bun my hair up to keep the twists from hanging down and rubbing on my clothes. Some other great protective styles are wearing a wig, weave, box braids, or crochet braids.
7. Wash n Go
From my experience with wash n go’s, I know that it can be very easy for your ends to knot up within each other. To avoid this, my best tip is to twist your hair up at night to keep the hair stretched, decreasing the amount of tangles you get. Make sure to spray your hair with water before twisting so it is easier to section off your hair!
8. Oils
Experimenting with different oils can be great for your hair. Finding the right oil can contribute to your hair growing, shining, and strengthening. Some oils I recommend trying are jojoba, castor, coconut, avocado, and olive oil. These oils are good for either conditioning, moisturizing, anti-frizz, anti-breakage, eliminating dandruff, or providing protein.
9. Product Junkie
I say, during your time as a natural, it is ok to be a product junkie! Buy as many products as you need until you find the ones that work best for your natural hair. Not finding the right product can aid in your decision to return to the relaxers. You’ve come this far, so keep at it until you find your staple products and hair care routine!
10. Have a routine
Having a hair care routine is very important. If you start to fall behind, your hair will suffer. I try to stay as consistent as possible. For example, I wash and style my hair every two weeks, detangle and restyle the week after I wash my hair and, trim my ends every 3-4 months. Everyone’s regimen is different. You just have to find what works best for you in your lifestyle!
11. Have fun
Caring for your natural hair can be stressful. But, just remember, this is the first time you are really dealing with your curls. It is a whole new territory and can be very different from your straight hair. In the words of Aaliyah: If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again!
