Apparently y’all are loving the natural hair posts and I admit I don’t do them often enough. Today I’m going to share 8 natural hair tips that will help you grow longer hair. If you want to see any of my older natural hair posts, you can always look here in my hair archives.
Sulfate free products!
Shampoo
We were always taught “squeaky clean” hair was best. Turns out it’s not. Squeaky clean hair means that your hair has been stripped of its natural oils. You want to make sure that you are using a moisturizing shampoo. Your hair should feel soft and detangled.
I would recommend that you add a clarifying shampoo into your routine about once a month. This works on a deeper level and will help remove any excess product build up from your hair. Again, only do this once a month. When product build up is removed you will see how much better your products will work in your hair.
Moisturizing/Hydrating Deep Conditioner
Not gonna lie. Before having a natural hair regimen I never deep conditioned my hair! Lately I’ve been using the Natur-All Hydrating Avocado Conditioner along with Carol’s Daughter Coco Creme Creamy Conditioner. A moisturizing conditioner should always be used after every wash.
When deep conditioning, you can choose to do this once a week for at least 20 minutes, preferably with heat. I aim to deep condition every time I wash my hair (once a week). I also do it for at least 30 minutes and I put a plastic bag on my head to lock in the heat. Sometimes I’ll even do jumping jacks or something that will make my head hot so that the deep conditioner works better.
Protein Based Conditioners
Protein based conditioners are going to help rebuild your hair strands. This is perfect if you have any sort of heat damage I personally love the HASK Keratin Protein Treatment Mask. How often you use this type of conditioner will solely depend on how much hair damage you are trying to correct. I used to do a treatment mask every time I washed my hair and there is nothing wrong with that.
Leave-In Conditioner
Leaving-in conditioners are totally optional but if your hair tends to get dry fast they will help. They definitely help with the detangling process after shampooing and conditioning. They can also be used as moisturizers on a daily basis. I tend to use my leave-in conditioner on wash day and then again if I want to refresh my wash n’ go throughout the week.
Use Natural Oils
These oils are used to seal in your moisturizers like a leave-in conditioner. Some examples of natural oils are jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil, organ oil, teal tree oil, castor oil etc.
Protective Styling
Ever wonder why you always see me rocking a bun? Hair is very fickle. The goal is to grow your hair and you do that by retaining length. If your hair breaks off then you are just back to square one. I try and prevent my hair from rubbing on my shoulders and clothing too much. Protective styles will help reduce manipulation, combing, keeps hair up.
Heat Reduction
Air drying is best. Yes there are ways to use heat and have healthy hair but it’s best using little to none especially if you are just starting out. If you ever see me diffusing my hair, know that I have the temperature set to cool.
Satin Pillow Case
As I said before, hair is fickle and natural hair is the most fickle. It’s so important to make sure you are keeping your hair moisturized as much as possible. If you are reading this and you don’t have a satin pillow case (me) at least make sure you have a satin bonnet or scarf to protect your hair from your cotton pillow. A regular pillow will suck the moisture out of your hair and promote frizz…ain’t nobody got time for that lol. If you can, grab yourself a satin pillow case or two.
The key take away from this post is that all of our hair is different. You will have to experiment with different products to figure out what works for your hair. Use this post as a guideline but what works for me may not work for you. Another thing, don’t get stuck using the same products for too long. I like to switch mine up once a year or try something new.
Thanks for reading!