Natural Basic Hair Care

MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE

Water is the key to moisturizing your hair.The most important to do with natural hair is to keep your hair moisturized.  As a woman of color we are taught at an early age to stay away from water, but water revitalizes our natural hair.  Using water is what keeps your hair moisturized.  Women of color tend to have hair that is more susceptible to dryness.  Coily or curly hair does not always get the natural oil that is secreted from the scalp. This is a result of oil following the pattern of the hair and a lot of the times the natural oil does not reach the entire hair strand due to the curly or coily pattern.  As a woman of color it is important to moisturize your hair on a regular basis.  Some women like to moisturize their hair daily at night or early in the morning.

People of European descent tend to have straight hair. Straight hair readily receives the oil from the scalp. As a result, most times the hair follicle becomes too oily and requires shampooing to take away the excess oil.  Most people like to use the L.O.C (Liquid, oil and Cream)method for regular moisturizing. This method requires you to dampen your hair with water or a mix of water and a leave in conditioner; add oil to seal it in and a butter like Shea butter.  I prefer to dampen my hair with water, add a butter and lastly add the oil to seal it.  This is referred to as the L.C.O. method.  Find the best combination for your hair.

HAIR POROSITY

Porosity is the level of moisture your hair can retain.  There are three levels of porosity; high, medium and low porosity.  Those with high porosity hair can absorb a lot of moisture, but is unable to keep the moisture in the hair. As a result the hair becomes frizzy and it can also become frizzy from hot baths/showers or high humidity.  Medium porosity can be easily moisturized and it retains moisture well. Low porosity means that it is hard for moisture to penetrate the hair follicle.  As a result it takes a longer period of time for the hair to dry.  It is helpful to set under a hair steamer or dryer to help allow moisture to penetrate your the hair shaft.

TRIMMING

In order to maintain and promote healthy hair you should get your ends trimmed regularly.  Each person is different. Some people may trim their hair every 4 to 6 weeks. Others may do it every 3 months and, yet still others might find once or twice a year much more advantageous.  You will be able to tell when your hair needs to be trimmed when you notice single strand knots or your hair becomes harder to detangle. It is usually a sign for your hair to be trimmed.  When it is trimmed you will feel such a wonderful difference in your hair.  Having trimmed hair makes it easier to detangle and much more manageable.