A HAIRCARE REGIMEN GUIDE

HOW TO CARE FOR NATURAL HAIR

Hair care evolves and mine started with a dry scalp that would often bleed from lack of moisture. In 2016 when I first went natural, I used coconut oil to moisturise my hair and scalp, or at least that’s what I thought I was doing at the time.

The use of coconut oil was based on mostly word of mouth, memes and internet sources. Oil is not a moisturiser but rather a sealant which can also be used to inject much-needed nutrients into the hair and scalp.

Under no circumstances should oil be used daily on dry scalp and hair – without proper moisture it will lead to even drier hair and scalp, which was what happened to me. Coconut oil also made my scalp itchy and flaky, to a point where I would scratch until I bled. There was no relief so I was forced to read up more and do my research until I found a solution. 

It is important to understand your hair and ingredients/products. It feels like too much information in the beginning but eventually it becomes easy. You spend what seems like a lot of money when trying out different products to figure out what works, but it becomes affordable once you know what you need. It takes about a year to feel confident, it took me longer but it could have taken me a year if I was not so stubborn. I have come a long way and now my hair care routine is as follows:

Washing: Once a week. I use a non-stripping shampoo and I follow up with a conditioner that leaves my hair feeling lush, soft and moisturised. 

Hairline: Daily and, at times, in the morning and evening. I massage a serum or oil into my hairline. 

Moisturising: Daily or every second day. I use the LCO method mostly because oil is a sealant. Water is followed by conditioner/moisturiser then an oil. In colder and drier months, I add a thicker cream for extra moisture and then seal with an oil. I stick to thick shea butter creams and light oils that do not leave my hair greasy. I do the LOC method when I want to inject oil directly into my hair, but the cream does not penetrate the strands as efficiently as the LCO method. 

Hydrating: Daily. I use plain water in a spray bottle and sprits it directly on my hair daily. 

Treatments: I treat my hair weekly with an array of treatments. This is where I have fun! I buy a bunch of treatments and alternate. I use protein treatments once in a while and moisture-based treatments every week. 

Braid care: Daily. I sprits water then follow up with a leave-in conditioner. Every other day, I add a light oil as a sealant. I do not apply the oil to the hair daily. I still carry on with the above hairline daily method. There is no need to moisturise the synthetic braid.