Long, thick afro hair. At once a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you’ve got a glorious head of hair which will be the envy of many passers by. On the other hand, what would be a bad hair day for somebody else is going to be a catastrophic hair day for you. But don’t worry, because we’ve got five quick tips which help you to keep that hair under control.
1. Don’t Wash Your Hair Every Day
To be honest, this is probably a good idea for everybody, but especially for those of us with long afro hair. Why is this? Because doing so robs your hair of its natural oils. It will be a healthier head of hair if you only use your shampoo, perhaps three times a week. Instead, what you might like to do is just rinse it while you’re having a shower.
2. Get a New Pillowcase
What’s the logic behind this? Well, most pillowcases are made of cotton, which is highly absorbent and what does your hair have which you don’t want absorbed? Yes, that’s right, it’s those natural oils again. They’re always after those natural oils! A satin pillowcase wouldn’t do this and would leave your hair much healthier. Plus, you never know, it might help you to sleep better too.
3. Protect Your Hair from Harsh Weather Conditions
When you go out on a very hot day, you can get sunburned if you don’t wear any protective cream. People always think to protect their skin, but a much smaller number of people think to protect their hair. Likewise, people wrap up warm so that their skin doesn’t get exposed to the harsh weather conditions of winter, but often leave their hair out to get battered.
Long afro hair is especially susceptible to these kinds of conditions, so if you’re going out in the extreme heat, the extreme cold or anything else extreme, you should really think about putting something on over your hair to protect it. Another neat little trick is to carry a bandana or a headscarf in your bag, then if there’s ever an unexpected change in weather, you know you’ll be safe.
You can use a Durag from Taelor Boutique to help you preserve your natural thick afro hair and also protect your hair from the harsh weather conditions while being stylish.
4. Use Deep Conditioning Oils and Creams
The main reason that thick afro hair is hard to maintain, is that it loses its natural oils much more quickly than other types of hair. That’s why you not only need to protect it from external forces which will make it lose its moisture, but you should also try applying some extra hair care products too. Websites like www.xotica.com have plenty of specialised hair products which will come in very handy.
5. Don’t Straighten or Curl it Too Much
Straightening or curling our hair is actually very unnatural. Of course it’s fine to do it every now and then, but our hair is not made to be exposed to this kind of thing on a regular basis. This is especially true of afro hair, which already suffers from moisture issues. Maybe save this kind of thing for special occasions, if you have to do it at all.
So keep these points in mind and you’ll soon be rocking a glorious doo. What are some of your own hair care tips?
Author Bio
Hollie Jones is a freelance writer and co-writer for the Hollie and the Ivy blog. She is cares a lot about upcycling, interior design, crafts and weddings. She enjoys writing about these subjects (and many others too) so that she can share her knowledge and enthusiasm with the world.