Five Reasons Natural Hair May Not Be Right for You

The trend toward natural hair continues to grow, but going natural is a lifestyle commitment that isn’t right for everyone. Perhaps you’re on the fence about whether or not you should go natural. Here are five reasons that going natural might not be the best option for you.

1. You believe going natural means less work.
Perhaps in the beginning, if you opt to go with a big chop, your natural hair care routine will be cut down considerably. However, once your natural tresses grow longer, be prepared to put a fair amount of time into shampooing, conditioning, moisturizing, detangling, styling, and prepping hair for bed. Is it worth it? Most naturals will agree that it is, but if a quick and easy routine is what you value most, natural hair might not be for you.

2. You’re not willing to invest time and money into the health of your hair.
We’ve already debunked the ‘I’ll just wake up and go’ myth. However, you’ll also need to invest time into educating yourself about how to achieve and maintain healthy hair. Whether you choose to consult a natural hair professional or invest long hours into reading articles online and watching YouTube tutorials, you must learn how to best care for your hair. You’ll also need to experiment with different hair products and styling methods in order to discover what works best for your unique hair.
What about the cost of going natural? When you purchase healthy, organic foods you expect to pay more than you do for their less nutritious counterparts. Likewise, natural hair products are typically more expensive than traditional hair products. Perhaps you’re a do-it-yourselfer who plans to make your own hair products. The raw products needed—like quality oils and Shea butter—still represent a significant investment.

3. You want a consistent look.
One of the beautiful things about natural hair is its versatility. However, that versatile look isn’t always up to you. Often, it is your hair (or Mother Nature) that is truly in control. If you expect to achieve a consistent look, you may find yourself in a constant battle with your natural hair.

4. You’re determined to achieve a very specific look.
Our natural hair comes in a variety of types and textures. If you’ve been wearing a relaxer for a long time, you probably have no idea what your natural texture really is. So if you’re expecting to achieve a very specific look, chances are, you’re setting yourself up for a big disappointment. It’s unlikely that your hair will look exactly like anyone else’s—even if you have the same texture and use the same hair products.

5. You’re sensitive to the opinions of others.
Going natural is a decision not everyone will appreciate. Unfortunately, the people who won’t agree with your decision just may be the ones whose opinions matter most to you. Your mother. Your best friend. Your significant other. Perhaps even your boss. If the possibility that any, or all, of these people might have a strong, negative reaction to your new look gives you the hives, you might not be ready to go natural.

People go natural for a variety of reasons. But going natural isn’t just a fashion trend; it’s a lifestyle choice. While the natural hair movement is steadily growing, it isn’t right for everyone. So before you jump on the bandwagon, carefully consider whether the natural lifestyle is right for you.

Five Habits Essential for Protecting Your Length

Achieving long, healthy natural hair requires an optimal hair routine. Last week we discussed five bad hair habits that will destroy the length you’ve worked so hard for. Now that you know what you shouldn’t do, here are five habits that are essential to a healthy hair routine that will protect your length.

Moisture is King

You’ve heard it before, but this cannot be stated enough. Keeping your tresses moisturized is the most important thing you can do to retain length. Water-based moisturizers, like Curly Satisfaction Leave-in Balm, are easily absorbed into the hair shaft. Another option is a penetrating oil-based moisturizer, like Honey Love Moisturizer. After you’ve given your hair a dose of vital moisture, use an oil or butter to seal the ends.

Deep Condition

Styling, manipulation, the environment and stress can wreak havoc on tresses, leaving them dull and lifeless. Rejuvenate hair by injecting an extra boost of moisture. Do this by making deep conditioning part of your healthy hair routine. A good deep conditioner like the Olive You Deep Conditioner will hydrate tresses without weighing them down, make detangling easier and restore elasticity.

Strengthen Hair

Keeping a proper protein/moisture balance is crucial to retaining length. The hair is made mostly of protein. Therefore protein is needed to maintain the strength of the hair and fortify weakened strands. Strengthen hair with a periodic protein treatment like Honey & Horsetail Reconstructor, which will help repair damage and make hair more resistant to breakage. A hydrating, leave-in treatment like Hair Do Right, repairs damage, controls frizz and seals split ends. Not sure how often your hair needs protein? Consult with your stylist.

Do Pre-poo

Shampoo can dry hair out. Offset this damaging effect by prepping hair with a simple pre-shampoo treatment. Apply olive oil or coconut oil to hair and cover with a plastic bag. Sit under a hooded dryer or wrap hair with a warm towel. Olive oil and coconut oil are among the few oils that can actually penetrate the hair shaft—rather than just sitting on the surface. The heat helps the oil to penetrate deeper. After thirty minutes, wash hair as usual. Your hair will be soft, shiny and easier to detangle.

Trim Ends When Needed

Clients often resist getting ends trimmed because they want to hold onto their length. However, if split ends aren’t trimmed they will continue to split, further damaging hair. This also causes tangling, which jeopardizes undamaged strands. Pay attention to your hair. If you’re frequently experiencing single-strand knots, carefully check for split ends. Don’t be afraid to get hair trimmed, as needed. Rather than focusing on the small amount being trimmed, recognize that this is a vital step in retaining the rest of your length.

Retaining length is the key to healthy, long tresses. Now that you know which bad habits to avoid and which habits are essential to a healthy hair routine, you can make needed adjustments that will protect the length you’ve worked so hard for.

Finding the Balance Between Moisture and Protein

You work hard to grow and care for your natural hair. Nothing is more frustrating than breakage. There are several possible underlying causes for it. Two possibilities are either too much moisture (over-conditioning) or too much protein (protein overload).

The hair is made mostly of keratin—a protein. So it requires some protein to stay strong and healthy. Hair that has been chemically altered by relaxers and hair color particularly needs protein to rebuild its structure.But when the hair gets too much protein it goes into overload. The hair becomes stiff and brittle, feels like hay to the touch, and breaks easily.

Water (moisture) nourishes the hair and boosts its elasticity—the ability to stretch, then return to its original form. If the hair lacks moisture, it gets dry and breaks in response to daily styling and manipulation.When it becomes over-moisturized it will feel limp and weak, and too stretchy or too soft—especially when wet. This also leads to breakage if cared for improperly.

Determine the Needs of Your Hair

How can you determine whether your breakage is due to protein overload or over-moisturizing? The signs listed above are a good start. Next, do a quick strand test.

Take a few strands of shed hair. Grip one end of the hairs with the forefinger and thumb of one hand. Then grasp the other end with the fingertips of the other hand. Give it a tug.

·         If the hair stretches, but then returns to its normal state, there is a good moisture/protein balance. 

·         If the hair stretches, but doesn't snap back to its normal state, the hair is over-moisturized and in need of protein.

·         If the hair snaps while being stretched, there is a protein overload and moisture is needed.

The test can be performed on wet or dry hair, but wet hair is more flexible than dry hair.

Treating Over-Moisturized Hair

Honey & Horsetail Reconstructor

If the hair is too elastic, you can see improvement in a single protein treatment. Try a product like Honey and Horsetail Reconstructor. The protein treatment strengthens weakened hair, but leaves it feeling hard. So follow the treatment with a moisturizing conditioner. Protein treatments should only be done every six to eight weeks.

 Caring for Hair with Protein Overload

There is no quick remedy to fixing protein overload. You’ll need to develop an ongoing plan to nurture your hair back to health.

·         Check your current moisturizers, gels, and conditioners to see if they have protein in them. Look for terms like keratin, hydrolyzed, collagen, or amino acids—especially when these terms are among the first five ingredients in the product. Set them aside for now.

Honey Bee Sweet Scalp Exfoliator

·         Clarify hair with a shampoo like Honey Bee Sweet Scalp Exfoliator or use your regular shampoo and follow with an apple cider vinegar rinse. Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of warm, filtered water. Rinse your hair with the mixture after shampooing.

Coconut Papaya Hair Paste

·         Deep condition hair once or twice a week with a creamy deep conditioner like Coconut Papaya Hair Paste.

Coconut Hair Milk

·         Incorporate a hydrating, water-based moisturizer, like Coconut Hair Milk, into your daily routine.

·         Consider getting your hair steamed. Steaming opens the cuticles and allows moisture to be absorbed deep within the hair’s cortex.

Both moisture and protein are needed for healthy hair. Finding the right balance is the key to healthy, shiny, soft curls. Once your hair is in perfect balance, do a periodic strand check to maintain that balance by making adjustments as needed.

Five Bad Habits That are Sabotaging Your Length

You’ve been natural for months, maybe even years. Yet, your hair just isn’t growing. You’ve tried a variety of hair products, yet nothing seems to work.

What do you need to do to finally see some noticeable growth?

The problem isn’t your hair’s ability to grow. Most of us experience about a half-inch of hair growth per month.

So why aren’t you seeing that extra six inches of length per year?

The difficulty for most of us lies in retaining that precious length. We unknowingly do things that damage our hair and sabotage length retention. Let’s examine five bad hair habits that wreck retention of length.

Say No to Suds

Sulfates are harsh detergents found in most shampoos. They create suds. Yet, despite what many of us were taught, suds aren’t necessary to cleanse the hair. In fact, harsh detergents strip the hair of its natural oils, making it more susceptible to breakage. So don’t buy into the hype. Skip super sudsy cleansers and opt for a sulfate-free option, like Olive You Scalp Cleanser or Virgin Hair Girl Poo that will cleanse the hair without stripping it.

Ditch the Heat

Heat appliances (hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, straightening combs, etc.) fry the hair, causing irreversible damage. The intense heat turns soft, supple hair into a frazzled, dry and brittle mess that feels like hay. The loss of moisture and elasticity causes hair to break during styling and manipulation. Protect your length by nixing heat from your hair care routine. If you must use heat styling, save it for special occasions, and be sure to prime tresses first with a heat protectant product, like Curl Creation Styling Serum. 

Loosen Up

Protective styles can give your hair a much-needed rest, but avoid braids, ponytails and other hairstyles that are pulled too tightly. If the scalp feels tight, you’re in obvious pain, or small bumps form near the hairline, your hair is pulled too tightly. This stress can cause permanent damage to the hairline and cause breakage.

Say Goodbye to Metal Accessories

Cute accessories can add pizzazz to a hairstyle, but be selective about the hair accessories you use. Examine barrettes, hair combs and elastics to ensure there are no jagged edges or metal pieces that will snag or damage hair. Opt for ouchless hairbands and elastics. Your hair will thank you for it.

Beware of Moisture Vampires

Your sumptuous cotton pillowcase is wreaking havoc on your tresses while you sleep. The thirsty, absorbent fabric is like a vampire—sucking precious moisture from your hair. This dries the hair and causes breakage and tangles. To protect your length, simply cover hair with a satin bonnet or trade your cotton pillowcase for a satin one. The smooth surface will protect your hair from unnecessary stress and breakage.

To attain the long, healthy natural tresses you desire, you must protect the length that you’ve achieved thus far. By eliminating these five bad hair habits above you’ll take a major step in the right direction. Next week we’ll consider five things that are essential for a healthy hair routine designed to protect length.