With the colder months looming like the dude at the bar that bought you a drink; it is time to talk about hydration. Specifically hair hydration. Here are 5 easy ways to ensure your hair is properly hydrated for those unnecessary cold days a coming.
DIY leave-in conditioners are awesome!
You know exactly what is in them and you have the ability to play around with the recipe so that it fits your exact needs. My hair always tends to be on the dry side, but is even worse in the winter. I have a staple DIY conditioner that I have used since forever. This conditioner and I have a longer relationship than me and my kids… So it works! I found this recipe on YouTube about 7 years ago.
It calls for 1 tablespoon of my fav leave in (Kinky Curly Knot Today), 1 tablespoon of aloe vera juice, 1 teaspoon of castor oil and 1 teaspoon of jojoba or olive oil.
This tends to be enough for me to use on my hair twice. I only apply it to wet or damp hair so that it can seal in the moisture for me! My twists always look full and juicy after using it.
Understand the difference between moisture and hydration.
Natural hair can be a tricky world to navigate, especially when everyone is throwing around terms and phrases that sound like diabetes (type 4z hair). Hydration is the act of adding water to the hair while moisturizing is the act of locking in the water. My DIY conditioner does both. The Kinky Curly Knot Today is water based product and the oils are sealants.
Proper hydration starts from the inside out.
Drink your H20 and take vitamins that promote healthy hair! I recently started taking a women’s multivitamin focused on healthy hair, skin, and nails. I’ve also taken biotin in the past but it caused me to have breakouts so I stopped taking them joints. Biotin has worked for many but I could not deal with the acne it was causing me.
Deep condition once a week or every other week!
I have coarse, dense hair that fares better with heavy cream based conditioners. My fav is Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque. I will also use Suave Humectant Conditioner when I am out of the Shea Moisture. It is not nearly as thick but it gets the job done.
Clarify your scalp and hair.
In order to retain moisture so that your hair is properly hydrated, you have to rid your hair of product build up. I have been really enjoying Twisted Sista’s clarifying shampoo. It cleans my hair without feeling as though it has been stripped of life. I hate shampoos that pull all of the energy from my crown. It’s like kryptonite. And I ain’t Superman so I don’t play that sh…
Tell us your hydrating secrets in the comments section!
-Nikki Streets of BestiesandBrunch.com