Keeping natural hair is cheap and easy, but amazingly, over 50% of black, African women have relaxed hair. This is mainly because women want to keep up with the latest trends and also look beautiful. There have been a lot of critics who have said that black women relaxing their hair is an expression of self-hate but that's a topic for another day. I rock my relaxed hair and it's to do with my image, nothing near self-hate.
If not properly maintained, relaxed hair can look dull, can break, thin out and have split ends. It is, therefore, important to take special care when we are in a hot season. Caring for your hair is as important as caring for your skin in summer. In this article, i'm going to give a few tips which, if followed religiously, will leave your hair looking and feeling amazing.
1. Wash
So, first things first, your hair must be clean everytime therefore, wash it. Sweat can dry your hair and at extremes, make it smell. Therefore, it's important to wash it oftenly.
It is advisable to shampoo just once a week, as shampoo tends to dry the hair, as well as alter the pH (potential hydrogen, measuring acidity/alkalinity) balance of the hair. However, you can conditioner-wash (co-wash) everyday if you want to. The process of co-washing involves washing hair with warm water first, then applying your conditioner. You can then wash the conditioner off with warm water. This process is gentler on the hair and leaves your hair feeling soft and smelling good, too.
2. Choose low heat styling
I cannot stress this point enough. Avoid flat irons! Avoid curling irons! Avoid tongs!
Instead, opt for blow drying or the classic salon dryer. When using a blower/dryer, make sure the heat is not set to high, but low instead.
Extreme heat damages the proteins in the hairs, making them fragile and liable to break off so avoid it at all costs.
3. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!
When you moisturise, it combats dryness and adds elasticity to the hair. Elastic hair tends to be immune to breakage and the effects of styling.
Moisturising tends to leave hair frizzy and a bit wet, so i suggest moisturing at night to allow the hair to dry overnight. You can moisturise your hair daily if you choose to, but whatever you choose, just make sure you do it regularly.
4. Oil your hair
Oiling will lock in moisture, soften hair, as well as give hair an extra shine. I discourage you from using jelly-based hairfood, unless if it is very light. Jelly is too heavy for the hair, will close the pores on your scalp and will make hair dull. I recommend using Organic Olive Oil Hair Spray, Isoplas Hair Spray or Organic Carrot Oil Hair Food. I've tested these three and they've proven to be good at moisturising and softening hair as well.
5. Wrap overnight
Sleeping without wrapping your hair will cause damage to relaxed hair. Our pillows (especially cotton ones) will absorb all oils and moisture from the hair, leaving it very dry and prone to damage. It is advisable to use a wrap made of satin or silk, as these are unable to absorb any moisture due to their texture.
6. Use the right comb
Avoid using brushes or narrow-toothed combs such as tail-combs. Regurlar use of these will cause breakage and thinning out of the hair, as it puts a lot of stress on the hair. For this reason, it is wise to use wide-toothed combs.
6. Braid it up
Finally, if you just don't have the time or are too lazy to take care of your hair, get braids or a weave. The pros of braiding are;
i. There's no stress on the hair due to combing so no hair loss/breakage and;
ii. Hair moisture is locked in, giving your hair strength and elasticity.
Remember, though, that even if you get braids or a weave, you still must moisturise and spray.
Image courtesy of africanhairblog.com
