5 tips for caring for & maintaining healthy natural hair

While browsing on Instagram one day, I saw a live video by Priscilla Shirer, the actress from the movie War Room and automatically assumed that it was going to be a faith-based message since she’s a minister but to my surprise, she was sharing her hair journey, from relaxed to natural.

As a fellow naturalista, she got my attention especially because her hair looks amazing and is quite healthy and reaches way past bra-strap length. I listened and took notes of the tips she shared which were meant to help not only fellow women of color but also non-black women who may have adopted or are raising children with kinky hair textures and aren’t quite sure how to style them. Below are the tips she shared which pretty much fall right in line with how I care for my natural tresses.

• Keep heat away from your hair 

We’ve all heard that heat is harmful to our fragile strands but just how important is it to keep hot tools away from your hair? Excess heat causes dryness and damage so exposing your hair to high temperatures daily is certainly not a good idea.

I blow dry my hair on wash day but not on super high heat. You might find it shocking to know that I’ve been fully natural since 2014 and only straightened my hair once in 2017. So when I say minimal heat, I mean it. If you must use heat, be sure to use a heat protectant and also keep your flat iron and curling iron on medium temperatures. There’s really nothing more dreadful than hearing your hair fry and seeing smoke come from it. If your hair is already showing signs of heat damage, your best bit is to gradually cut off the damage ends, which leads to my second point…

• Trim as needed.

No amount of treatment can restore heat damage or split ends sis, so you have to let go of the damaged parts and get a fresh start. This is coming from someone who hates cutting her hair but I have seen what a difference it makes when the entire length of your hair is healthy.

Some stylists recommend trimming every 6 weeks but I personally find that to be excessive but to each their own. I simply get a trim as needed, not on a specific schedule.

• Keep low maintenance protective styles
  

Styles that do not require constant manipulation are best if your goal is to retain as much length as possible. These include updos as pictured in today’s post where all your ends are tucked away. Other options are the vast array of extensions like braids, twists, wigs, weaves and my favorite, you guessed it… crochet braids. The less you manipulate your hair, the less you’ll have to worry about shedding and breakage.

When you do manipulate your strands though, whether it is with your fingers, a comb or a brush, be sure to apply a product that helps remove knots and more importantly, ALWAYS start detangling from the ends first before getting to the roots.

• Use oils to seal in moisture

One common struggle in the natural hair community is maintaining moisturized hair and edges. The LCO method – which stands for LIQUID, CREAM & OIL – was a game changer for me when I went natural. Oils alone never kept my hair moisturized for long but when I started applying water or a liquid leave-in, followed by a cream conditioner or detangler and finally sealing it all with an oil, I started seeing a major difference in the health of my hair and how much it retained moisture and shine.

There are endless types of essential oils available on the market but cedar wood, lavender, and rosemary help with edges and thinning areas. Grapeseed, coconut, peppermint and olive oils are also very good options. Don’t forget to apply light oils to your ends also since they are the oldest part of your hair and need a little more TLC.

• Consume healthy foods & lots of water

Of all the tips I’m sharing today, this one may be the most important. The best way to maintain healthy hair is to live a healthy lifestyle. What you consume will have major impact on your hair so it is imperative that fruits and vegetables that contain the types of vitamins that encourage hair growth are part of your diet.

Some may choose to supplement their diet with hair vitamins like Biotin but be sure to see your doctor before doing so. Lastly, drinking lots of water will certainly help keep the moisture in your hair. Just like plants need water to grow, so does your hair, so up your H2O intake and your skin, hair and nails will thank you!

If you follow me on Instagram, you would notice that I’ve been rocking my natural hair more often than I used to in the past. That is because my friend and hairstylist extraordinaire Rosemay of @vialihaircare has been using her  magical fingers to wash, trim, treat and style my hair beautifully and you guys all seem to love when I post close ups of these styles. Your endless positive feedback inspired this post but none of it would be possible with Rosemay. She’s actually a chemist and her haircare line of products are made with the natural girl in mind. Check out her page @vialihaircare on Instagram and order some of her oils. They are divine!

I hope you found this post helpful and are inspired to try out this simple updo. If you have any questions or comments, I’d be more than happy to address them so chime in below.

Until next time,