Natural Hair Care Routine: 11 Tips to Care for Kinky and Curly Hair

Looking for an effective natural hair care routine? We’ve got you covered.

You cannot get healthy and soft hair in a day. Patience is the key. Committing several mistakes in this hair care journey is obvious. So, you don’t have to worry about it. Once you know the natural hair care tips and the right products to use, you’ll see how easy it is to ace this hair care routine.

But, before we proceed, we’ll throw some lights on what natural hair actually is.

What is Natural Hair?

The texture of hair that isn’t altered due to the use of chemicals and hair styling tools is categorized as natural hair. Generally, natural black hair is kinky-coily or wavy. This type of hair has a very delicate texture. Hence, you’ve to handle them carefully to make them strong.

If you love your natural hair and doesn’t want to straighten them, follow this hair care regimen.

Natural Hair Care Routine

While building a hair care routine for black hair, know that all curly hair is not the same. The patterns of the curls may vary widely. To take care of your head having beautiful curls, adopt a unique care approach. We hope that the tips shared below will definitely help.

No hair expert can know about your hair more than you. Always consider the tolerance of your hair. Take the advice given below as an opportunity to experiment with your hair. Whatever suits, include only that tip in your natural hair care routine.

1. Limit the Use of Heat

Image: Source

When it concerns healthy hair growth, restrict applying heat on hair. Heat destroys your hair’s protein bonds. Moreover, the natural moisture in hair is also lost due to heat.

However, the use of heat protectants can bring down the extent of the damage. But, these protectants even cannot completely stop the harmful effects of heat. Over time, the heat styling tools can make your hair dry, brittle, and weak.

Hence, limit using heat to once a week only. If you use heat frequently, you need to moisturize hair more.

2.  Protective Styling

If you want to maintain the existing length of hair or just want to grow your hair long, go for protective styling only.

Now, the question is, ‘What is protective styling?’ Any hairstyle involving fewer manipulations and combing can be considered as protective styling. Read this blog to learn some damage-proof and protective styles. These hairstyles are good for daily wear. If you wish, you can get these hairdos for certain days of the week.

Protective styles help to restore hair length. Wearing protective styles also prevents hair damage. Weather conditions like sun exposure and harsh winds weaken the fibres of natural hair. Hairstyles like twist-outs and spiral curls can lessen the impact of the environment on hair.

Also Read

7 Easy Damage-Proof Hairstyles to Prevent Damage and Hairfall

3. Use a Moisturized Shampoo

Natural hair is very dry. So, you need to seal in the moisturizer. Using a moisturizing shampoo is the key. Moisturizing shampoos are free from sodium lauryl sulfates. These shampoos work as gentle cleansers and give you detangled and soft hair. Before choosing the shampoo, know how your hair reacts to shampooing. The general rule of thumb is to shampoo your hair twice a month. Depending upon the need of the hair, shampooing once a week is also okay.

Shampoos help you get rid of excess oil from your scalp and hair. Shop for a shampoo that is specifically formulated for curly hair type.

4. Condition Once a Week

Curly hair craves for moisture. Hair conditioners can prevent the loss of moisture after shampooing. To reap all the benefits of hair conditioners, condition your hair once a week. Focus on dry areas especially at the ends of hair while applying conditioner. Never ignore including conditioning in your natural hair care regimen.

5. Apply a Hair Mask

Applying a hair mask after conditioning can boost its benefits. Hair masks restore and nourish curls. The mask you apply will penetrate deep into the hair cuticles and will hydrate the hair.  This, in turn, revives the curls and prevents frizz.

If your hair is transitioning from chemically treated hair to natural texture, go for this hair mask treatment once a week. Your natural hair becomes very fragile during this transition. The hair mask will strengthen the hair. So, you cannot miss this step in your natural hair care routine.

Also Read

How to Grow High Porosity Hair in 7 Easy Steps

6. Co-Wash Your Natural Hair

Mia Emilio, the master stylist at Devachon Salon at NYC, says that Co-washing is using conditioner only to wash your hair. Curly hair girls do so to avoid the harmful drying effects of shampooing. While co-washing, you use conditioner to scrub the scalp and remove any dirt. The main benefit of co-washing is that you’ll really hydrate the hair without losing its moisture.

 7. Stretch Natural Hair

Shrinkage is a common issue with natural hair. If you love long curly hair, stretching is the solution. Stretching eliminates some of the shrinkage from your hair. It also reduces tangles and knots. Using a hair straightener for stretching hair can have damaging effects. Hence, make sure that you’re involving heatless methods to stretch your natural hair.

Here’re five safe ways to stretch natural hair.

 

8. Water Only Method

Water only method is free from the use of shampoos and conditioners. The following image from Green Beauty’s YouTube video will clear the idea.

Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar to clarify your hair of any product buildup. Massage the scalp daily till the sebum coats your hair from root to tip completely. It may take several weeks. Once sebum has fully coated your hair, wash your hair with warm water only every day. Detangle your hair with your fingers while washing. Or, you can use some tools for detangling.

9. Massage Your Scalp with Oils

Oils enhance the pliability and shine of natural hair. You can take any hair oil like almond oil, castor oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil, etc. Pour a small amount of oil on your palm. Start from the ends of the hair and then your way up to the roots.

Whatever water-based moisturizing products you’re using, oils will lock-in the moisture.

10. Trimming

A trimming routine is essential to grow your hair fast and to prevent split ends. Use a professional scissor to trim the ends of your hair. Otherwise, unnecessary split ends can occur. Trim your hair from time to time. Hair experts, generally, advise going for trimming after every 6-8 months.

11. LOC Method for Natural Hair Care Routine

LOC here stands for Liquid, Oil, and Cream. Following this order while washing your hair means you’re applying LOC method. This LOC method has been lifesaving for many curly-haired sistas. If you’re struggling with dry hair and want to grow hair long, LOC method is for you.

However, many people have found LCO method more effective than LOC. The letters mean the same but the order of application changes. Actually, it’s you who have to decide which method works best for your curls.

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