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Our hair is a sign of resistance to the system, and behind its majestic beauty that makes crowns, it is important to know the reason for its characteristics.
Natural Hair or Afro hair is characteristically curly as a result of adapting to hot climates, allowing air to circulate more easily, cooling the head and preventing it from reaching dangerous temperatures for humans. Thus we see how our hair is an ancestral inheritance, a beautiful inheritance that by freeing ourselves from the yoke of whitening, we exalt and vindicate while we smile while being and showing our true being.
Here are some tips for the care of your natural hair, through love rituals that enhance your Afro-femininity. Touched by an Angel hair School elaborates in a decent way.
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1. Use your fingers
Contrary to popular belief, natural hair is generally fine and tends to split easily if we mistreat it. By untangling it with fingers and thick-toothed combs, we avoid fracturing the strand, in addition to being a ritual of love for our natural hair and our Afro-femininity.
2. Cover your natural hair
Our hair is naturally dry, so maintaining hydration is a task that will pay off in healthy, beautiful hair. When sleeping, cover your hair or pillow with a silky cover, which, unlike cotton, does not absorb the natural oils of the hair, avoiding morning frizz.
3. No sulfates, no shampoo
The sulfates contained in shampoos are those that, when producing the foam, leave the hair free of its natural and artificial oils, leaving it extremely dry. By using sulfate-free shampoos, we avoid this sensation. The problem is that many shampoos that are still sulfate-free leave our hair feeling dry, which is why there is today a movement that is gaining more and more followers and it is the no-poo (no shampoo) regimen. This consists of cleaning our hair with alternative products that do not dry out our strand. There are several options (co-wash, apple cider vinegar and baking soda, among others), which I personally recommend, since they thoroughly clean the hair and leave it manageable. The point is that this regimen must go hand in hand with NOT using silicones. Since these are of mineral origin (petroleum) it is possible to remove them only with the detergent products contained in shampoos. If you still decide to wash your hair with shampoo, choose those that are sulfate-free and contain moisturizing products.
4. Hydrate it
Our hair loves water, and the more exposed they are to it, the better they will feel, this is a principle that shocks us black women a lot, due to the habit of not getting our hair wet from drying and straightening, and even the myth of that excess moisture rots the hair. Moistening our hair with a spray bottle several times a day, applying leave-in conditioners (which does not contain Sodium Hydroxide), as well as applying deep hydrations when the hair asks for it, are habits that the hair appreciates.
5. Seal in hydration
Our hair tends to lose moisture quickly and return to its dry state easily. So applying preferably natural oils or butters, after a leave-in conditioner, seals the moisture contained in the hair strand, keeping it hydrated for longer.
6. Unravel it!
One fact without a doubt is that the more days your afro hair lasts without being detangled, the more unruly it becomes and the more you mistreat it in the process. So define a routine where at least two or three times a week you untangle it. Do not forget to do it using all the water, oils and the necessary conditioner so as not to break the hair strands, using your fingers or a thick tooth comb, dividing it into parts to help you, and if you prefer at the end, comb it with bows, twists or braids to protect and keep your hair tangle free.
7. Choose the natural
Despite how difficult it is to follow a natural regimen, this is the way to achieve healthy hair. Sulfates, silicones, parabens and the endless chemical products that have been created to "manage" our hair, mistreat and deform it. Avoid shampoos that dry out our strands, and choose conditioners without silicones, as these cover and seal the hair strand with petroleum derivatives, drying and blocking its hydration; Comb with flaxseed gel, apply natural oils to seal in hydration, and deeply hydrate with natural products such as avocado, coconut, banana, egg. In addition to being much cheaper than commercial products, they are organic love rituals with excellent results on the health and appearance of Negroid hair.
8. Have fun
Society still assumes that our hair is ugly and inappropriate, so in many cases our self-esteem is affected, triggering a relationship of more hate than love with our hair. Combing it in fun ways, using accessories, bandanas, scarves, of various colors and sizes, we overturn that prejudice and make our Afro-feminine look beautiful and counteract erroneous preconceptions, gaining followers of this way of wearing blackness with beautiful pride.
9. Treat him with affection
I mean when you touch it; do not mistreat him, massage him, comb him and play with him from love. When washing it, distribute the product of your choice with water from the roots, massaging the scalp with the fingers (not the nails), carrying the product gently without mistreating or breaking the strand, to the ends. When detangling and combing it, avoid breaking it, separate the knots that are created go from ends to roots and separate it into parts for best results. When drying, do not rub the towel against the hair, you can remove the excess water by gently squeezing it with your hands, or dry it using an old t-shirt or microfiber towel since they absorb the water without causing damaged ends and the frizz of rubbing it with conventional towels. . Finally, avoid combing, detangling or washing your hair in a hurry or annoying. Allow yourself a space of love with your hair.
10. Protective styles
Follow link below for some ideas of protective hair styles
They are those hairstyles that they made us as children, the braids, the twists or rolls, the bows, among others; that allow our hair to be grouped, protecting it from external agents that damage it, in addition to creating hairstyles when having them and when undoing them, since they define a very beautiful curl pattern. Protective styles are braids that, in general, are made by separating the hair and braiding or rolling them into two or three parts. For best results and not to mistreat the strand, when doing the protective styles the hair should be damp and with a moisturizing product without rinsing. They should be undone with your hands preferably, previously rubbed with the oil of your choice, thus avoiding frizzyness, and at the end you can continue separating the hair and comb it with your fingers until you obtain the desired appearance.
I also recommend that you check the links below, there is much more information about the care of our beautifully black hair.
Thank you for this. I never learned how to properly ever care for my hair and over the years was never actually taught by any hair dresser that I have gone to. I think there is too much of an assumption placed on believing that most black women would know how to care for their hair because they had black mothers. But if your black mother never knew how was she ever to teach her daughter. What I did learn was trial and error and reading up on something only after someone made a comment about things they did as a matter fact common practice. And I was always left looking at them like “I didn’t know that.” Example: wrapping…