Natural Hair

Understanding your hair kind is the first move in maintaining healthy hair. But what comes next?

Whether you’re an experienced natural or someone who’s lately abandoned keratin treatments, hair bleach, perms, or any other harmful agents, you have two primary targets find products that work for your hair and use them in a way that is best suited for your hair.

What Your Hair Needs

Hair products should handle two critical necessities moisture and protein. How much moisture and protein your hair needs depends on numerous factors.

For one, you must know your hair type and porousness level. Hair porosity simply refers to your hair's capability to absorb and hold moisture. There are three levels on the spectrum as low, normal and high porosity. Understanding your hair’s porosity level will help you opt for the right products than if you simply know your hair type.

So, the first step is knowing your hair type, then your hair’s porosity level, and eventually finding the right products that work best.

Best tips to choose the right hair care product

Trial and Error

The smart way to break down your hair care routine to find things to test is step by step.

Everyone’s wash day routine has a resembling structure of shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, and the optional styling product.

Some wash days can get added technical, involving deep conditioning, protein treatments, and so on.

Moisturizing Shampoo vs Clarifying Shampoo

Moisturizing shampoos are recommended for daily/weekly washes. Your best bet is looking for a moisturizing shampoo that doesn't contain sulfates.

Shampoos tend to clear hair follicles of their natural moisture. However, shampoo only once, if you don't have too much buildup and wash your hair multiple times a week.

Still, look for a moisturizing shampoo that's made for chemically processed hair, If you have chemically processed hair. Bleach and colourings are prone to drying out hair, thus, having a shampoo that adds to the dryness is nowhere near advantageous.

A clarifying shampoo is required when you have weeks of dirt buildup. However, a clarifying shampoo should be used because it strips hair of all dirt, If you’ve gone more than two weeks without washing your hair.

When you use a clarifying shampoo, it’s imperative to revitalize your hair follicles throughout the rest of your wash routine to add back the moistness your hair needs.

Conditioners

There are three kinds of conditioners: rinse-out conditioner, deep conditioner, and leave-in conditioner. All three can be used in tangent with each other or by themselves, depending on the wash day.

Rinse-out Conditioner

Rinse-out conditioner is your traditional conditioner that is often used after you shampoo your hair. It creates a great slip which refers to how lubricious it makes your hair feel after applying so that you’re better able to detangle your hair.

It’s suggested to leave the rinse-out conditioner in for 5 minutes. If your hair is curly, it is better to part your hair into sections before detangling them.

Deep Conditioner

Deep conditioners are used as an extra product to moisturize and repair the hair follicles. They can be applied thoroughly and left in your hair for 20 minutes to overnight.

The harder it is for your hair to keep moisture, the more often you should deep condition your hair.

If your hair is prone to producing a lot of natural oils, you would not need to deep condition it as frequently.

Leave-in Conditioner

Leave-in conditioner is a vital product for women with Type 3 and 4 hair. Many women with curly and Coily hair textures use this as a pre-styling product.

Protein Treatments

Protein treatments should only be incorporated into your wash routine on an as-required basis. Protein is vital when it comes to hair, nails, and skin. It's used to make tissue cells that help keep your hair healthy and growing.

Though, because protein naturally occurs in our hair, (we call it keratin in this form), too much protein can do more harm than good.

Understanding if your hair needs a protein treatment will depend on the condition of your hair. However, you should only consider getting a protein treatment every few months, If your hair is quite healthy. However, the best way to know is to perform a hair strand test, If you're doubtful.

Protein can be added through hair supplements capsules or you can readily incorporate it into your at-home wash day routine.

Products that can help with the absence of protein in your hair care products such as hair masks, deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners, or shampoo and conditioner duo. You can buy them from the beauty store or make your DIY mask.

The egg hair mask is one of the oldest hair care routines. To make an egg mask, you simply take one egg, whip it up, and apply it to your hair and scalp

Serums

The main purpose of hair serum is to make your locks look lustrous, less tangled and healthier which happens because the serum absorbs and reflects light.

It makes your hair look glossier, while also adding a protective coat to the hair, thus protecting your hair from dust, pollutants and ultraviolet rays.

Which type of serum is right for you?

If your hairs are prone to frizz, hair serums are an amazing styling product to use after you style your hair.

If you have split ends, serums that are made with keratin work best as keratin is known to repair aggravating split ends, and prevent strands from splitting.

Though, frizz is harder to manage than other hair types, If you have curly hair. To keep those curls bouncy, and lustrous and bring them back to life, use serums filled with hydrating oils like jojoba, argan, sweet almond and marula.

Still, you know how hard it can be to keep your coils hydrated, If you have Coily hair. Serums infused with argan and Moroccan oils will give it a healthy lustre and seal in moisture

How to use serums?

Serums are best applied to recently washed hair at the end of your routine. However, it'll weigh down your hair and make it look oily, If you apply a serum on a day-to-day basis. It’s significant to understand that serum isn't just a styling product.

It provides nourishment to your hair.

Don't use an extreme quantity of serum. For medium length hair, use 1-2 drops and for longer hair, use 3-4 drops of it. Make sure to distribute some to your scalp, but primarily focus on the ends of your hair.

Take Away

Looking for the exact products for your hair can be a strenuous and indeed costly process. The internet will be your best friend in suggesting and finding products that aren't only compatible with your hair but within your budget.

Our hair needs as much love and attention as the rest of our bodies. Try making your DIY products where you can.

The better you know your hair, the better effects you'll get.