Oct 18

Oct 18 How to Care for Afro Natural Hair: Eight Tips

Hair styles have always been a manifestation of culture, social class and genetics from the start of time. Our African ancestors ways of hairstyling was as unique as their tribal culture. Then came the discovery of the art of wig making followed by slave trade. With these, our ancestors' lost their tribal identities which were woven in the way they do their hairs.

Centuries later, the art of Afro hair making is showing appearance to the world by those who are touched by their lineage of tribal identity. Below are eight expert tips when styling afro hair types.

1. Join the natural hair revolution

In the world today, about 70% of the population has black hair or a variation of black hair (World Atlas, 2019). It’s not just about hair but rather

understanding why there have been tremendous shifts in the ways our ancestors cared for and styled their kinky textured hair. The connotation we have to look a certain way led prominent leaders of the Black Power Movement into a revolution to believe that black people should be proud of their strong lineage. Angela Davis and Elaine Brown were just a couple of the many Black Panthers who wore their unaltered hair in recognition of their ancestry and defiance of Eurocentric beauty ideals.

2. Avoid the greatest mistake - not knowing enough.

The very first mistake women make when looking for hair products is not knowing what to look for. One common misconception of Afro hair is the idea that there is one type; this still happens today. Educate yourself with the many hair identity types that falls under the umbrella of ethnically classified “afro hair”. Jamyla Bennu, a natural hair style icon and co-creator of Oyin Handmade Products said the greatest thing she did that helped her find products that worked for her, was to educate herself about ingredients and her hair texture.

3. Take care of your ends

When Mahisha Dellinger founded her now widely popular organic hair care brand Curls in 2002, her target market was a small number of individuals who preferred wearing their hair in its naturally textured, curly to kinky state. Today, this community is hardly a niche, with a growing population of men and women of all ages, races, ethnicities, and walks of life joining the movement to embrace the hair nature granted them with. Dellinger swears by the below three step plan to protecting ends

Trimming Your Ends - Dellinger advised trimming your ends will change the bottom line at the end of the year, but a strong baseline will help you retain growth. Weak ends can accelerate breakage.

Oil Your Ends - "Protective oils can serve as a barrier around the hair shaft. This provides a layer of protection from environmental and tactical styling damage and preserves previously moisturized strands. Be sure to oil the ends after applying a hydrating moisturizer to your strands," says Dellinger.

Conceal Your Ends - And finally, Dellinger recommends, "Cover those ends in a basic protective style. The key is for the ends to be concealed, not revealed. Hide, put them away, and opt to wear these types of styles more often than not."

Cut back on Shampoo
The lack of traditional products that allow for traditional healthy hair practices or styles have led to the use of chemicals. Charlotte Mensah, whose name is synonymous with natural hair trends in the British beauty circle, advises on cutting back on shampoo. She said over shampooing dry out strands and suggests we stick to washing out hair just once a week.
Massage the scalp
Hair experts swear by massaging your scalp with a hair oil, this simple practice stimulates the secretion of sebaceous oils and stimulates blood circulation.
Avoid tensions
Dellinger says no matter what style you choose, make sure the tension is minimal, your scalp can breath, and that you do not leave your hair styled for too long.
Use the right material
A silk scarf is the best option because it isn’t very porous, therefore it doesn’t absorb the moisture out of your hair like cotton or other materials would.
Stick to a regimen
Build a regimen that has a weekly or biweekly structure. Odds are, the rest of your life has a weekly rhythm to it. Use the natural routine of your life to your advantage, and work your hair regimen into it. Eventually, it will become habit and easier to remember.