[size=14pt]Dry natural hair is a struggle every Naturalista is accustomed to due to the curly or coily nature of African strands and with that dryness comes the difficulty of hair manaipulation and frustration. Natural hair feels hard and coarse when it is lacking moisture. Well hydrated, nourished and conditioned natural hair is very soft and manageable. If you are struggling with hard and "stubborn" natural hair, the solution to your problem is MOISTURE. The need for moisture in every naturalista's hair journey CANNOT be overemphasized.

The best way to get the most moisture into your hair in your hair regimen is to get as much moisture as possible into your hair on your wash day and adding moisture on subsequent days as the need arises.

A very successful and hydrating wash day should follow these 8 very simple steps:[/size]
[size=18pt]
1. Prepoo [/size]

[img]http://gdurl.com/lS82[/img]

[size=14pt]To prepoo is to coat your hair for a period of time (about 30mins or overnight) on wash days with an oil, a mixture of oils or a DIY deep treatment prior to cleansing depending on the needs of your hair. This will help to minimize the stripping effect of shampoo-ing so you don't lose all the oils and nutrients from your hair. Use oils that penetrate the hair shaft like coconut oil for best results. [/size]

[size=18pt]2. Clarify[/size]

[img]http://gdurl.com/HWJH[/img]

[size=14pt]Clarify to remove product buildup; dirt and heavy layers of products on hair do not allow moisture in. Most Naturals choose to cowash in between shampoo washes and some completely remove the shampoo from their regimen because of the stripping effect of shampoo that leaves your hair dry.

If you chose to not use shampoo, there are other very effective and recommended options that leave your hair soft. For example, using a mixture of bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar to detoxify your scalp and cleanse your hair, or a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water to clarify your scalp in between cowashes. These work well to keep your hair clean without losing as much moisture as shampoo-ing. If you must use a shampoo howerver, ensure you use a sulphate free Shampoo or African Black Soap mixes.[/size]

[size=18pt]3. Detangle[/size]

[size=14pt]Liberally use a rinse out conditioner with good slip to detangle. An exmple of a good conditioner that does wonders for detangling and moisture is the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration moisturizing conditioner, It has amazing slip, imparts moisture and is a very inexpensive option.[/size]

[size=18pt]4. Deep Condition[/size]

[img]http://gdurl.com/q7gJ[/img]

[size=14pt]Always use a deep conditioner afterwards for extra moisture, use especially with heat. Steaming opens up the hair cuticles allowing the goodness of your deep conditioner in and moisture penetrate into your hair. If you have low porosity hair, deep conditioning with heat is not optional for optimal moisture.[/size]

[size=14pt]Learn more about Hair Porosity here and how you can improve your Natural hair[/size]

[size=14pt]Rinse with cool water to close the cuticles; smooth cuticles make for shiny hair.[/size]

[size=18pt]5. Lock in Moisture[/size]

[img]http://gdurl.com/33xb[/img]

[size=14pt]For extra coarse and very dry hair, use the LOCS variant of the LOC method.

[color=teal]Liquid (L)+ Oil (O)+ Cream (C)+ Sealant (S)

Never skip the water based leave in conditioner, it is imperative to keeping your hair conditioned and soft, a great choice is the Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream. Follow it up with a penetrating oil like coconut oil or olive oil; then a cream to keep all the moisture locked. To keep that moisture extra locked especially for high porosity hair, add another layer of sealant, use heavy oils like the Jamaican Black Castor Oil or Sheabutter, a little goes a long way, a lot leaves you with greasy hair.[/size][/color]

[size=14pt]7. Lastly, stretch your hair out in twists, braids or threads to dry, prefarably without heat or style as desired.

8. After wash day, ensure you moisturise daily or as often as your hair gets dry, use a water spritz containing water and your favorite penetrating oils or a water based product to moisturize, and always seal with a heavy oil/cream.

Practising all of the above will take your hair from dry and britle to soft and manageable and that hard hair you are challenged with will be a thing of the past.[/size]

[size=14pt]source: www.napturalnigerians.com[/size]

Hmmmmmmmm

And how do you make soft hair hard??

MzDesire:
And how do you make soft hair hard??

lol...undo the 8 step above....yimu

Boring:
lol...undo the 8 step above....yimu

lol...issokay o

MzDesire:
And how do you make soft hair hard??

To harden soft hair, use coconut oil. It contains protein, and protein helps to harden hair.

My natural hair is HARD and so I avoid coconut oil as much as possible because it hardens it the more, which isn't what I want.

ferhyntorlah:


To harden soft hair, use coconut oil. It contains protein, and protein helps to harden hair.

My natural hair is HARD and so I avoid coconut oil as much as possible because it hardens it the more, which isn't what I want.

Thanks

MzDesire:
Thanks

You're welcome.

I think we should make this thread very active. I just started using natural hair and don't want to go back to using chemical. I'll need healthy tips for my hair

I'm tired of my natural hair of almost six years cause it needs so many products, it's time consuming and the edges refused to grow.

I...

Cynthiabelle:
I'm tired of my natural hair of almost six years cause it needs so many products, it's time consuming and the edges refused to grow.

don't get tired. You can try onion juice or scalp message with Castor oil to grow your edges.

I just started the natural journey. will two months be enough to grow my hair to atleast 3 inches my regimen is Palm kernel oil soak before wash day daily application of Shea butter+ olive oil + hemp am I missing anything else

jattbby:
I just started the natural journey. will two months be enough to grow my hair to atleast 3 inches my regimen is Palm kernel oil soak before wash day daily application of Shea butter+ olive oil + hemp am I missing anything else

Lol ,
Add Maggi, crayfish, pepper and salt .