How I Permanently Tackled Dryness in my Hair with 1 Key
For the last 6 months, my hair has been anything but dry and that is something that I as a 4C kinky natural, am v. v. delighted about! Not having to moisturise my hair every 2 or 3 days, because it already feels so moisturised from washday! Many of you have asked what the magic trick isā¦ itās simple, and underrated and the answer is simply HEAT! I only noticed this factor when I went back to my old regimen.
WHAT DOES HEAT DO? It literally opens up the cuticles of your dry hair so stuff can enter, so the penetration of conditioners, waters, oils is increased times 100.
Here are 4 key steps you need to try to reduce the dryness that you often experience in your natural hair:
deep condition your hair with heatĀ - I cannot stress this enough. If you donāt have a heatcap, please please get one. I use Aphrodite. Not only does it allow you to cut your conditioning time, it will open up your hair cuticles so that the nutrients can penetrate the follicles and give them super power. I now never skip this on my washday because I notice how much more hydrated my strands are when the goodness can penetrate easier with heat. Heatcaps make your conditioning treatments more effective! Include some avocado oil because its amazing, and always focus on your ends.
hot oil before shampoo - also known as āprepooā. If you have not experienced how beautifully soft your hair gets after you apply coconut oil and place a heat cap on for 30 mins before you wash, you need to! Coconut oil reduces hydral fatigue (research this, as this is crucial for the washing process) and it makes detangling easierrr (next to Kinky Curly Knot Today, for those who like me, first detangle then twist in sections before washing). This will ultimately reduce the dryness you experience after shampooing and after whole washday process. If you donāt like coconut oil, use olive oil!
EVENING MOISTURISATION. reversion when moisturising? Moisturise your hair in the evening (i do this every other evening, but not as often these days because my hair is already so moisturised) and twist/bantu/stretch it out for bed time. The longer your hair gets, the less sections you will need! Thereās hope! If you have little time, simply use a hair tie and double bun the sections of hair to stretch it out (I make my own DIY satin hair tie cut from satin scarfs).
MORNING MOISTURISATION. my special tip: steam moisturise! How do you steam moisturise your hair? This will preferably be done in the morning, where you moisturise your hair with a peasized amount of oil (almond/olive) and place a shower cap and head into a warm/hot shower. The steam from the shower will open up your hair cuticles to allow in moisture and oils. Your hair will be soft after, and it barely causes reversion because the steam particles are tinier than the particles in a spritz of water. I love doing this every other morning!
Extra tips
Donāt be afraid to trim! I dust my ends every 4 months, and trim every 6 months (twice a year). Itās good for your hair because it serves as a good precaution. Length retention over hair growth, literally the same thing.
Dilute your shampoo in a plastic bottle. This will spread the shampoo over your hair, and reduce its drying effects. I use this method to wash my hair (in twisted sections) as I find that applying one handful all at once can be too drying.
If you can wash with clay e.g. bentonite clay go for it. I lovelovelove using bentonite clay every month, and it does not strip, instead I feel like it actually ADDS moisture throughout the month. Itās a great balance!
** Iām in the middle of creating an all-natural dryness killer spritz. One product, one aim. I will keep you updated. Feel free to message me!
