So You're Natural

I have been natural my entire life, my mom use to tell me if I ever chemically altered my hair it would all fall out. Once I started doing my own hair I would use a shampoo with harsh sulfates followed with a low-quality conditioner and immediately apply hair gel to my hair and put it in a tight bun every day. This lead to me having dry and brittle hair with a lot of breakages. Whenever I went to the salon to get my hair straightened, which I only did about 3 or 4 times a year, the growth I got to see was instantly chopped off due to the amount of damage I had caused from not taking proper care of my strands. Hopefully, these products and tools can help you throughout your natural hair journey whether you have been natural your entire life or if you are making the transition to embracing your natural hair.


 




















What is Natural?



To have natural hair for the purpose of this article and by most people's definition, it to not chemically change the texture of your hair this includes relaxers, Japanese straightening treatments, and Keratin treatments. So someone could get a blowout and press every two weeks and still be considered natural. So with that being said just because someone is natural doesn't mean they have healthy hair, also just because someone uses heat and or relaxer does not mean their hair is unhealthy. I've attached a video that I really love about Black women discussing the health of relaxed hair.

How to Find What Works For You 

Finding the right products and routine for your curls actually has to do with factors such as porosity, the state your hair is in, and the thickness of your hair strands. Porosity has to do with how your hair absorbs moisture. If you are interested in reading up more on porosity I recommend this link: More About Porosity


So now that there is an understanding of hair porosity it makes it much easier to find the right products and hair care routine. For example, I have low porosity, fine, and color treated hair. So my routine is different from someone who also has type 3 hair with a medium or high porosity hair and thicker strands. So don't use the hair lettering system to pick products, if you don't know what that is it is not needed for any of these tips, people with 3A hair and 4A hair who share the same hair porosity and thickness will probably have similar results with the same products, but they probably use different tools and methods during the application process and different styling techniques.



If your hair is damaged by heat, chemical straightening, coloring, or from the sun then those factors should also be considered when you are curating a hair care routine.

What I Recommend:

Co-washing:


 


Curly hair is naturally drier, so curly girls should not shampoo their hair as often. So instead of shampooing curls more than once a week, I recommend replacing some of your wash days with a co-wash instead. Co-washing is when you use a conditioner to clean your scalp instead of shampoo. Replacing a few wash days with co-washing will ultimately lead to moisturized, healthy, and easy to detangle curls. Look for a co-wash with good slip I personally recommend the devacurl Decadence No-Poo followed by the One Conditioner or Aussie Mega Moist which is more budget-friendly and a high-quality drugstore conditioner.



Deep Conditioning = Major Key:



Deep conditioning is an essential part of a  healthy hair care regimen, but it can be difficult to find the deep conditioner that works best because the way your hair responds to certain treatments is based upon the porosity of your hair and the overall health of your curls. If your hair is damaged then you are probably in need of a protein treatment and if you have virgin hair but it is dry then you are probably in need of a moisture treatment. Before I started coloring my hair I would do a hot oil treatment once a week by combining coconut oil, olive oil, and castor oil heating the oil mix up in the microwave for 15 seconds and then leaving it in my hair for a few hours before shampooing. Now that my naturally dry hair has been bleached, toned three times, dyed, and dyed again I am in need of moisture and protein that fits my schedule because let's be honest I am not going to take an entire day out of the week to take care of my hair. I like to combine the Aussie 3 minute miracle and Aphogee Keratin 2 minute constructor in the shower after cleansing my scalp, and the two together work well by themselves but are amazing when combined.



Cleansing Hair:



When it is time to cleanse your scalp it is important to choose the right product. For my shampoo lovers, it is really important to avoid shampoos with sulfates because the ingredient is too harsh on curls. I am a huge fan of the Shea Moisture and OGX shampoos. However, lately I have been using my new holy grail product and that is the Cantu Apple Cider Vinegar Root Rinse which is ideal for protective styles like braids and sew-ins but it can be used for all hair types in all states. The product is not a shampoo so there is no lather, the texture is similar to a hair serum, but the ACV and tea tree oil breakup buildup and gets rid of dandruff without stripping the hair of moisture.



Leave in:





Something that was missing from my hair care routine for years, was a leave in conditioner. A Leave in conditioner keeps curls moisturized and can prevent frizz it also is a necessary part of a healthy hair regimen. My personal favorite is the Cantu Leave in Conditioning repair cream it is super thick and the texture reminds me of Elmer's glue but the conditioner completely transformed the health of my curls. If you have noticed that thicker products are too heavy and over condition your curls then I recommend the Garnier Fructis Leave in or the Curl Butter Cream which are both favorites of mine.



Natural Hair Commandments:



A lot of natural hair YouTubers only use high quality and high-end products, avoid silicone and other ingredients found in cheaper hair care products. The only ingredients I recommend avoiding are sulfates as long as you cleanse your hair and scalp then silicone shouldn't kill your wash and go or your healthy hair. I have been using Aussie Moist and Cantu for years and they have truly improved the health of my hair in ways that many higher-end products haven't. With that being said find what works for your hair and your hair care budget.

 The Myth of Good Hair:
I think the online natural hair community accidentally sell and perpetuate the narrative of good hair, and that good hair is "exclusively" loosely textured hair. In my personal opinion Good Hair is healthy hair and I would like to see more type four representation within the natural hair community. So if you have read this article and you wanna embrace your natural texture regardless of your hair grade tag me in your pics on Instagram so I can see my fellow naturals prospering.

Thanks for Keeping Up With Kat!
Instagram: @Ktinsley_