Afro hair is thick, voluminous and gorgeous! However, due to its coiled structure and texture, it tends to be fragile, porous, and prone to damage. Moreover, regular heat styling, manipulative hairstyles and over processing can further leave your hair dry, lifeless and damaged. Curing coarse and damaged afro hair can be frustrating and confusing, but not anymore! With this expert haircare guide, a little patience and consistency you can easily revive your ‘fro back to life. Your healthy, lush and lively tresses are just a few tips away!
1. Hot Oil Treatment
Afro hair differs from other hair in many ways. The most prominent differences are that afro hair is thicker, it’s made up of more cuticle layers and it’s much curlier. It is also more prone to dryness and breakage. Special treatments such as hot oiling once a week can help you revive your damaged locs. It is known to effectively maintain moisture balance of your hair, which contributes to length retention and consequently longer hair. The frequency of how often you should do a Hot Oil Treatment varies from person to person. It will depend mostly on the overall condition of your hair.
The technique of hot oiling your hair is very simple, start with putting the oil mixture in a bowl and placing the bowl in another bowl of hot water for a few minutes until the oil is warm (not too hot, you don’t want to burn your scalp). Next, spray some water on your tresses and divide it into sections. Once your ‘fro is damp, apply the oil into your scalp and hair, making sure you do not forget the ends. Once you are done, wear a shower cap and sit under a hooded dryer for 30 minutes, shampoo, and condition normally on the next day. Apply TCB Naturals Leave-In Treatment, Deep Penetrating Treatment after conditioning for some extra care! We know this is a long process! However, it will leave your hair healthy, soft and full of sheen.
2. Leave-In Conditioning
After you are done shampooing your hair, massage a light leave-in conditioner in your hair every day. We strongly recommend TCB Naturals Leave-In Treatment, Deep Penetrating Treatment, because it contains a unique blend of shea butter and coconut oil, which deeply moisturises and nourishes your hair. Regular use will deeply rejuvenate your hair; make it smooth, silky and keep hair damage away. To acquire more benefits of this intense moisture therapy, hold your moisturised hair over steam to encourage the conditioner to penetrate your hair’s inner layers.
3. Shampoo And Condition
If you wish to bring your damaged hair back to life, you need to have a proper shampooing regime in place. Wash your hair once a week with a mild ph. balanced shampoo. Afro hair is naturally dry, and shampooing more often strips its oils and dries the hair further. In addition, too-frequent shampooing prevents natural oils to coat the entire hair shaft. Avoid shampoos containing sulphates, which also tend to dry the hair. Therefore, it is vital to condition your hair each time you shampoo. Use a moisturizing, protein-based conditioner, containing amino acids, and hydrolysed proteins. Massage the conditioner through the hair. Be sure to coat the ends, which are most prone to damage. If your hair is extremely dry and prone to breakage, apply TCB Naturals Hair Food, Nourishing Hair Food after conditioning to add a dose of protein.
4. Protective Hairstyles
Excessive styling, high manipulation hairstyles, chemical treatments can damage your natural hair big time! Does your hair need a break? The answer is yes! If you wish to reduce hair damage and give your natural hair a break, protective hairstyles are your go to solution. A low manipulation protective hairstyle like box braids, flat twists, Bantu knots, etc. is designed to protect your natural hair and retain its length. You can easily keep a protective style for two months provided you take care of it correctly. It is important to keep your natural tresses hydrated and moisturized with TCB Naturals Coconut Oil even when it is in a protective style. The idea here is to reduce the damage caused by daily hair maintenance and styling. Some breakage will occur during installing and removing protective hairstyles, but that is completely natural!
5. Night Time Regime
Having a night-time routine is very important if you want to improve your natural hair health. Protect your hair by wearing a satin scarf or a bonnet at night or you can sleep on a satin pillowcase. A soft material will protect your edges at night, reduce friction, and frizz. Cotton is usually harsh on your ‘fro, rubbing on it while you move at night will cause broken hair and split ends. Make sure you gently detangle your hair with a wide toothed comb before you go to bed. This will help keep matting and tangles at bay, in turn reducing breakage. Trim your hair regularly to remove dry, split ends. Many stylists recommend a trim every six to eight weeks, but close-cropped hair may need a trim as often as every four weeks.
Just follow these expert guidelines and you will see a positive change in your natural hair health. Your lush, thick and gorgeous curls will be back to life in no time!
However, natural hair comes with its own set of problems, check them out here Decoding All Your Natural Hair Woes
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