The Ultimate Hair Care Guide For Women Of Color!

The first step in afro hair care is creating a simple routine that works around your lifestyle.

If you have a regular routine then it will be easy to know what works for you and what doesn’t.

Without a routine, it’s hard to know what needs to be fixed if something goes wrong or if you try a new product out.

Here is a basic guide on how to start caring for your hair:

Cleansing your hair

It’s crucial to keep your scalp clean and healthy. Just as you wash and moisturize your face each day, you need to regularly cleanse your scalp.

Hair growth starts in the follicle and new hairs grow through these tiny pores in the scalp. If the pores are blocked it is hard for new hair to poke through and you can get painful bumps and ingrown hairs.

A dirty scalp can invite fungal infections, dandruff, stunted hair growth and other problems so it’s essential to keep it clean.

5 Tips for washing:

1. Pre poo with coconut oil to avoid hygral fatigue: simply apply the coconut oil to your hair, focusing on the ends, then cover with a shower cap and leave for at least 30 minutes.
2. Massage the shampoo into your scalp using your finger tips and work it along the hair strands. Don’t worry about getting shampoo on the bottom of your hair, it will get enough of a clean as the suds from your scalp run down.
3. Follow up with a conditioner that has a lot of slip to make detangling simpler. When conditioning or using a deep conditioning treatment, don’t leave the product on for longer than specified in the instructions as leaving hair wet for too long will weaken it.
4. Detangle with your fingers or a wide tooth comb to minimise manipulation.
5. Once you’ve rinsed off the conditioner, squeeze out excess water. Next, wrap your hair with a microfibre turban or towel for swift drying. Avoid blow drying as it can damage afro hair, drying without heat is easier and leaves hair softer and stronger in the long run.

Once your hair is clean and nearly dry, it’s time for the most important part of your afro hair routine: moisturizing.

Just as you wouldn’t shower and dress without moisturizing your skin adequately, it’s essential to make sure your hair is well moisturized.

The main point creating a natural hair routine is to avoid bad practices whilst keeping hair clean, moisturized and easy to style and maintain. Having a routine will help you achieve healthy afro hair that is longer and stronger than you thought possible.

The primary reason afro hair is prone to breakage is a lack of moisture. Dryness is the bane of afro hair.

Dry hair breaks easily and as afro hair is susceptible to dryness, it is also prone to breakage. Protecting your hair by locking in moisture is key.

Try this method called the LOC method for ultimate moisture:

L – Apply a Liquid.

A water based moisturising product in the form of a spray is best. We recommend Sheen, a water based blend of aloe vera juice, grape seed oil and essential oils. The hair is made of protein bundles kept together by hydrogen bonds and disulphide bonds. To keep hair strong it’s important to keep it full of the moisture it needs for the hydrogen bonds and the most effective moisturiser is water!  

O – Seal in the moisture with an Oil.

Water evaporates easily from the hair so a relatively thick oil blend is needed to seal in moisture. The best blends contain olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil and jojoba oil. Seal contains all of these and more so it’s our top recommendation, it was recently voted the Indy Best top oil for afro hair because it: “penetrates the hair shaft and leaves your strands feeling hydrated and super soft, and it remains that way for hours afterwards.”

C – Layer on a Cream.

This should be a water-based moisturizer but not as fluid as the product used in the liquid step. A moisturizing cream or leave-in conditioner will do the trick.  We recommend Smooth, with its blend of coconut oil, olive extract and organic & fairtrade shea butter.

Protective styling and low manipulation looks are ideal for afro hair care.

Protective styles are any style where the ends of your hair are tucked away.

Looks such as braids, twists or weave can be protective styles. With these looks ensure that you keep the style in for no more than 6-8 weeks and keep hair clean and moisturized throughout.

Low manipulation styles are looks requiring little maintenance and those that don’t invite your hands into your hair!

Wearing a buns or a roll, twist and pin style throughout the week keeps knots and tangles at bay as you don’t have to handle your hair much.

With these looks, wrapping your hair at night will keep it looking great throughout the week.

When styling, we recommend working with your hairs natural curls.

Those that say afro hair is unmanageable are often trying to get it to do something that goes against its very structure, that is straightening it.

If you are after the straight look then try stretching and straightening without heat and without chemicals by trying out traditional African threading techniques. This is a great way to get a new look whilst keeping your hair healthy.

Once your hair is clean, dry and styled you can tweak the look throughout the week to reflect your changing vibe.

Whilst keeping the core of the routine the same you can switch up the styles you do each week, perhaps going from a low maintenance bun, to micro braids, to a twist out after each wash day.

The key thing is to keep your routine the same and make only minor changes at a time.