Now that you have decided on where you will get your products from, either the kitchen or the store let’s talk about some of the products that you will need to make your natural hair journey a healthy journey.
The first and most important step in having healthy hair is moisturizing it. So you have to have a product that is a moisturizer. To be an effective moisturizer it’s first ingredient MUST be aqua, water, H20. Water is by far thee BEST moisturizer for our hair and skin. In fact it’s such a great moisturizer that it alone can be your moisturizer (I speak from experience as water is my primary moisturizer), when your hair is in its naturally curly state of course (if you straighten your hair and moisturize with water it will revert your hair back to its curly state).
Another product necessary is a leave in conditioner to continue to moisturize your hair as the days go on. I’ve seen some naturals go without this step. I was one in my pre loc journey, now that I am experimenting with the LOC and LCO techniques I’ve incorporated it into my regimen. My hair seems to be a lot softer and stays moisturized longer.
You will also want to invest in a cream or butter moisturizer to assist the leave in with providing more moisture to your hair and other benefits such as shine. This is the second step in the LCO method and the third step in the LOC method.
All of this moisturizing will be done for nothing if you do not invest in a sealant. There are a multitude of oils you can use to seal the moisture in your hair. Without this vital steps the moisture will leave your hair causing it to be dry and breakage will occur.
Where we would be without a good cleanser to help us clean our scalp and rid it and our hair of all the other products we put in it. Selecting a cleanser will require some consideration on your part. Biggest choice being to shampoo, cowash, or,both. Some naturals swear by cowashing alone, others stick with tradition shampooing. If your a neo in the natural world cowashing is the act of using a conditioner to cleanse your scalp. Many naturals use both in their regimens, like yours truly 🙂
Another essential product is a moisturizing deep conditioner. This beneficial treatment aids in providing deep penetrating moisture to your hair and scalp. There are many natural, non natural and home made products that fall under this category.
In Order to provide strength to your tresses you should use a protein treatment. Just like the moisturizing deep conditioner the protein treatment will aid in the overall health of your hair and it to can be purchased or made in the kitchen.
This is not low on the list because it is least necessary! A Hot oil treatment is one of the best things we can do for our hair. It is the spa treatment for hair. It helps condition, strengthen, moisturize and heal your hair. It can be purchased or made. It is one of the easiest of the home products to concoct. A journey without this is missing an important part of healthy hair.
Last but certainly not least is a rinse out conditioner, this is also used by some naturals after washing the hair but before the leave in is applied. It is another method of conditioning for those who feel it is necessary to help their hair be more manageable and moisturized. I do not incorporate this in my regimen.
Styling tools will also be necessary, items such as wide tooth combs or tangle teasers for detangling, Denman brush used for smoothing and clumping curls, butterfly clips and elastic bands for
separating hair. A spray bottle or two is also a necessary tool.
Disclaimer: Everything listed here is basic and is meant to be a starting point. The links I’ve including will take you to some of the products I use for the various steps of maintaining my natural hair. I am no expert on hair care, I do not have my costmatology license, nor am I a chemist, biologist, or scientist. I am a natural women who’s been researching natural hair care since 2012. I am however an expert in my own hair story and that’s what being natural is all about…developing a relationship with the hairs on your own head. I share what has worked for me in hopes that it may work for you as well.
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