For example Shea Butter & Aloe, Garlic Oil & Ginger, Neem Oil & Cactus, Carrot & Rosemary, and more. The one thing consistent with all these oils and butter is that they are used to maintain hair moisture. Those who are experiencing dry hair, they must include an oil/butter within their moisturizing routine.
But to keep as much of that moisture in from the water as possible, you'll want to start with a leave in conditioner, then follow up with an oil, you can try a blend of olive, avocado, argan and other oils, and then use a creamier moisturizer, and then a hair butter. Like Shea butter, cocoa butter, etc.
Centuries in bondage without the traditional oils, butters, and combs used in Africa forced slaves to care for their hair using the only products that were available to them. To replace palm oils, bacon fat and goose grease were used. Instead of shea, cooking butter was used to condition the hair.
Coconut Oil:
A holy grail for afro hair, coconut oil is packed with fatty acids that nourish and strengthen your strands, leaving them silky smooth.
Reason for that is, whilst African hair produces a lot of protective oils called sebum (more than Caucasian and Asian hair) it doesn't spread evenly along the hair fiber due to curls. Without lubrication, the fibers become dry. When brittle strands flake and roughen, hair becomes coarse to the touch.
Asian hair is the thickest, with a larger diameter of about 70 µm. Caucasian hair has an average diameter of 65 µm, and African hair is the finest, with a diameter of 55 µm. The cross-section of Asian hair is the most round and uniform, Caucasian hair has an elliptical shape, and African hair has a flattened shape.
Afro textured hair is naturally on the drier side because our beautiful kinks, coils and curls make it hard for the natural sebum created by our scalp to run down the entire shaft of the hair. So the question of how to moisturise dry afro hair, is something naturalista's may often ask.
Using butter pomades and hair oils also deeply hydrate and nourish the hair. African chebe is also good for strengthening and moisturizing the hair.
Coconut oil can have many benefits for your hair and scalp. It is used to relieve dandruff, restore luster to dry and damaged hair, tame frizz, and protect hair against styling damage. It is safe to use on all hair types.
Rosemary hair growth oil is quite effective in curbing hair loss and promoting blood circulation in the scalp, which helps improve hair growth. However, it should never be used in a concentrated form but should be diluted using Coconut Oil or any other hair oil that suits your hair to offer better results.
👉🏾When the Transatlantic Slave Trade started, captured Africans braided seeds and grains into their hair to bring their foods with them as a way of survival. Rice, okra, peanuts, benne, watermelon are some examples of seeds and grains that were hidden and brought from their native homeland.
To help keep Black hair healthy, dermatologists recommend the following tips: Wash your hair once a week or every other week. This will help prevent build-up of hair care products, which can be drying to the hair. Use conditioner.
We washed our hair with traditional plants sourced from the land, such as yucca root, which has skin and hair benefits, plus anti-inflammatory properties. Traditionally, we let our hair grow out. Our hair holds knowledge and wisdom, and it's believed that the longer your hair is, the more one has.
African hair is seen to be much thicker and more dense meaning that the hair follicles are larger. Density represents the amount of hairs that grow from the head, with denser hair resulting from more hairs growing closer together from the scalp.
Grey hair tends to be more dry, so be diligent with conditions and moisturizers. Always use oils to seal in moisture, use a daily leave-in conditioner, and if you're still struggling with dryness, deep condition more often- even up to once a week.
How and when you choose to use coconut oil is up to you - most people apply coconut oil to the ends of wet hair after a shower, and then apply a small amount to dry hair as a finishing treatment or as a heat protectant before styling.
Some claim coconut oil offers benefits like healthier gums, plaque removal, and even whiter teeth. But before you make oil pulling part of your morning routine, it's important to ask, “Does coconut oil really whiten teeth?” It turns out that oil probably won't offer you significant oral benefits.
Early African shampoos were multi-purpose bars of soap and the practice of what is now popularly known as conditioning was primarily used for growth, strength, curl enhancement and styling. Typically, they were homemade and created to be leave on products of oils, butters, milks, powders and resins.
With Shea Butter and Tamarind extract
Black soap is the ultimate African moisturizer for keeping the skin nicely hydrated while balancing oily to combination skin.
Although African hair is drier more brittle and susceptible to chemical and physical damage due to its spiral structure, it also has some advantages, especially in hot climates where it forms a natural barrier against the sun.
Growing afro hair can sometimes seem like an impossible task. One thing is for certain, however, and that's that it requires dedication and a whole heap of patience. Scientifically, black hair is the slowest growing hair type due to its elliptical shape and only grows about one third of an inch per month.
Introduction: The scalp hairs on an average African is dry with low tensile strength and a tendency to break easily. This is mostly due to poor penetration of the natural oils on the scalp and the very curly hair texture.