All Naturale

Thought I'd share some hair care tips with some of the ladies out there who are trying to relinquish the chemicals and go all natural.  

The main important thing to keep in mind is that you would need to keep your hair moisturized.  As black women, our hair requires some form of moisturizer to keep it silky smooth.  The types would vary per hair type. I will walk you through the wash  and dry process for those who are transitioning from a perm to natural or have natural curly/kinky hair and would like to wear it bone straight. 

Washing Your Hair 

1. The first wash that you would need to do is to get the hair follicles nice and wet so don't waste too much shampoo on the initial wash.  
2. After you have gotten all strands soaking wet, begin your second wash with a cleansing or purifying shampoo - basically because we don't wash our hair daily, we must remove all of the gunk build up (grease/sprays etc).  Please note that if you are mixed race, your wash frequency would depend on which gene pool your hair is mostly based off of. If your hair is more like the Afro type, then daily wash is not recommended as this damages the hair.  
3. Once your hair is nice and clean (you should feel the difference after using a clarifying shampoo) then you should do a third wash using a moisturizing shampoo.  This is to replace the moisture that was stripped out of your hair.  
4. The next stage is to condition your hair.  Remember that though your hair would feel a bit softer from the moisturizing shampoo, it is still a cleansing agent and your hair requires conditioning.  Please follow the instructions on the bottle and remember to rinse with cold water during the conditioning stage. It is also a good idea to comb through the conditioner to help get rid of some of the tangled dead hair.  Be careful when coming through as your hair's elasticity increases when when and pulling too much on your hair can cause damage. 

A word of caution with handling your hair, your conditioner and shampoo agents are chemicals and therefore I would suggest to avoid mixing them with other brands to avoid scalp irritation.  Unless you are a chemist, then don't try your luck. 

Drying Stage  

1. After you have towel dried your hair,  you now have the lovely task of detangling and drying your hair. Now if you are anything like me with a head full of hair, this is a time consuming process.  If you are tender headed, this will be a painful process unless you have the right tools. 
2. Always use a detangler comb.  You may also opt to use a detangler spray to help tame your mane. 
3. When coming the hair through, start from the ends and work your way back to the roots.  Hold the roots to buffer any pain from detangling the knots (essential when combing children's hair)
4. Part your hair into sections (4) to make the drying process easier.  I would not recommending air drying your hair unless you are trying to add body to your hair.  For a bone straight look, use a hair dryer with an attached fine tooth comb. 

~~I Whip My Hair Back n Forth~~

  ~~I Whip My Hair Back n Forth~~

 

Styling Stage 

1. The correct tools are essential for this part to come out correctly.  Always get a flat iron that has a dial setting to increase or decrease the temperature, and the best flat irons for Afro natural hair (domestic) have ceramic tourmaline plates. You will also need a rat-tail, fine tooth comb to part and style your hair. You will need some items to hold your hair in place (scrunches, clips etc) and you would also need some hair grease. 
2. While the flat iron is warming up, start parting your hair and applying some grease to the scalp.  The type of grease would depend on your preference (light oils, creams, thick grease etc).  Remember to simply apply a small amount to the scalp and part hair in big chunks. 
3. When you are ready to start straightening your hair, use then rat tailed comb to part a small section of the hair (start from the back and work your way to the front).  
4. From the base of the hair, pull the hair through the flat iron slowly.  Be careful of the sizzle from the grease that was applied earlier and not to burn yourself with the hot flat iron.  As you pull the flat iron through, this is locking in your hair follicles (all the moisture that was applied before is now locked in and would give a sleek look).  
5. For curled ends, bump slightly as you pull out at the end of the hair to create a curl. 

Remember to wrap your hair at night using a silk head-tie to keep the look fresh  for following day(s). 

 The End